Trailblazing lesbian judge Ana Reyes blocks Trump’s ban on trans people in the military
US judge Ana Reyes has blocked Trump’s ban on trans people serving in the military (Senate Judiciary Committee and Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
A federal judge has temporarily blocked president Donald Trump’s executive order which paved the way for transgender people to be banned from the military.
Ana Reyes, the first out LGBTQ+ person to serve as a district court judge in Washington DC, ruled on Tuesday (18 March) that the ban probably violates the service personnel’s constitutional rights.
Just days after returning to the White House, Trump signed the executive order, in which he claimed transgender service members’ identities “conflict with a soldier’s commitment to an honourable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life”.
Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth then issued a policy, described by charities as “dangerous” and “discriminatory”, that would disqualify trans people and those with gender dysphoria from military service.
Judge Ana Reyes, who has previously ripped into Trump’s “ridiculous” anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders, said the “cruel irony” was that “thousands of transgender service members have sacrificed – some risking their lives – to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them”. The proposed ban was “insulting”, she added.
“Judicial overreach is no less pernicious than executive overreach”, she went on to say, but it was the responsibility of each branch of government to provide checks and balances for the others, and the court “therefore must act to uphold the equal protection rights that the military defends every day”.
Reyes was previously accused of “hostile and egregious misconduct” after challenging the ban.
Her ruling is a nationwide preliminary injunction, which will temporarily halt implementation of the ban, protecting trans service members from being fired while it is being decided in the courts.
Army reserve military police second lieutenant Nicolas Talbott, one of 14 transgender active-duty service members who were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said he was able to give a sigh of relief following the ruling.
“This is all I’ve ever wanted to do. This is my dream job and I finally have it. I was so terrified that I was about to lose it,” he added.
Another transgender member of the armed forces previously said there was a “feeling of disillusionment” among trans troops, with the order “shattering trust” in the military, and “replacing it with a harsh reality of exclusion and discrimination”.
Jennifer Levi, from GLAD Law, who brought the case against the executive order, said: “The court’s unambiguous factual findings lay bare how this ban specifically targets and undermines our courageous service members who have committed themselves to defending our nation.
“Given the court’s clear-eyed assessment, we are confident this ruling will stand strong on appeal.”
A survey published in February revealed that 58 per cent of Americans supported out trans men and women in uniform.
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