Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned he’s interesting a block on an government order from President Trump successfully stopping transgender folks from serving overtly within the navy.
“We are appealing this decision, and we will win,” Hegseth mentioned in a Wednesday night put up on the social platform X.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Choose Ana Reyes stopped Hegseth and different navy officers from placing the president’s order in place or in any other case implementing new coverage effectuating it. Reyes additionally mentioned the navy statuses of the plaintiffs couldn’t be modified till additional order of the courtroom.
“We are not surprised to hear the military intends to appeal. We are very confident in the Court’s ruling. All the evidence in the case shows that transgender people are meeting standards and making tremendous contributions to ensure the security of the nation,” Jennifer Levi, an lawyer for plaintiffs within the case, mentioned in an e-mail to The Hill.
In line with Reyes, an appointee of former President Biden, her order supposed to maintain navy coverage “status quo” relating to transgender service members that existed previous to the president signing the “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.” The decide additionally stayed her order till Friday to permit the Trump administration time to enchantment.
“The Court knows that this opinion will lead to heated public debate and appeals,” Reyes mentioned in her opinion. “In a healthy democracy, both are positive outcomes.”
Trump’s order suggests that transgender folks can’t “satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service” as a result of they threaten the lethality of the armed forces and undermine unit cohesion, an argument lengthy used to maintain marginalized communities from serving.
“A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member,” the chief order states.
The Hill has reached out to the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Columbia for remark.
