WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general urging Congress to block President Trump’s announced intention to ban transgender service members from the United States Armed Forces. In a letter sent to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, attorneys general from 18 states and the District expressed their opposition to the ban, which Trump announced last week via his Twitter account.
“Transgender men and women from the District as well as thousands of others have served bravely in our armed forces. They deserve honor and respect from the Commander-in-Chief,” Attorney General Racine said. “When the president of the United States says dismissive and demeaning things about a vulnerable minority group, it has real -- and negative -- consequences for that group, and particularly for children who may be struggling with their gender identity. I’m proud that the District is one of the nation’s most welcoming jurisdictions for transgender people of all walks of life, and I pledge to continue working hard to ensure they get the protection and the respect they deserve.”
In his announcement, President Trump cited unnamed support for the new policy from military leadership. However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff reportedly were unaware of the president’s policy decision before he announced it. The day after Trump’s announcement, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said that, until the Pentagon receives further guidance on the new policy from the president, the current policy allowing openly transgender members to serve remains in place.
In response, the attorneys general declared the ban discriminatory and, despite the president’s claims otherwise, harmful to military readiness. The letter asks Congress to block the ban through the National Defense Authorization Act, which is currently before the Senate.
The letter noted that approximately 150,000 transgender service members have served in the United States Armed Forces. “Transgender service members fill a number of critical military roles. Retaining these talented service members strengthens—not weakens—our military readiness,” the attorneys general wrote.
The attorneys general reminded the House and Senate committees of the honorable service performed by transgender service members, writing: “The members of our Armed Forces put their lives on the line to protect freedom for all Americans. Thousands of transgender Americans serve in uniform today. This policy tells them, ‘you are not welcome here. The decision to oust honorable, well-trained, and patriotic service members based on nothing more than their gender identity is undiluted discrimination and therefore indefensible. We urge that this newly announced policy be immediately reversed.”
In addition to Attorney General Racine, the and Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin, who led the letter’s drafting, the letter was also signed by attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington state.
A copy of the letter is attached.