Trump’s obsession with transgender troops is about to get complicated

Were the prohibition on military service by transgender individuals to be implemented, Mr. Nature would be unable to enlist in the Marines and continue his family's tradition of dedicated military service,

the lawsuit said

The strategy at the moment is (to) imagine every scenario and be ready for that,

said Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLAD Law

I'm living proof that trans people can be cohesive members of the United States military and I'm still in a position where I can use my voice and I can use all of the tools in my belt to stand up for other trans people,

said Talbott who transitioned medically in 2012 and is due to report for duty as a military policeman this weekend

(We ... We) did not sit on our hands, and we were preparing for the worst,

said Shilling, who has flown 60 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan during two decades in the military

These guys need to be prepared to be able to go from being a new sailor to speaking to commanding leadership,

Batista told Reuters

This casts an enormous shadow on people that are getting ready to go on a deployment for six months overseas or, you know, getting ready to go on a combat mission,

said Sasha Buchert, counsel for Lambda Legal

The law is very clear that the government can’t base policies on disapproval of particular groups of people,

Shannon Minter, of the NCLR, said

Removing qualified transgender soldiers like me means an exodus of experienced personnel who fill key positions and can’t be easily replaced, putting the burden on our fellow soldiers left behind,

Cole said in a statement released by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law).

Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status,

the suit claims

There’s nothing about being transgender that makes me better or worse than any other soldier I serve alongside,

Herrero said in a statement accompanying the lawsuit

Recently, however, the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion,

the order states

Telling us that we can’t be heroes helps to stigmatize us and make us seem like less,

King said

I don’t think you can shove people back in the dark after they have felt the light on their skin,

she said

Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,

the president’s latest executive order said

This order is unconstitutional, and we will see this administration in court,

said HRC vice president Sarah Warbelow

It slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country, simply to appease a political agenda,

Jennifer Levi, an attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, said in a written statement

It has been my dream and my goal to serve my country for as long as I can remember,

Talbott said in a written statement

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,

it added

President Trump’s repeated targeting of transgender service members is a stain on our military, one that strikes at the very heart of military standards and core American values,

according to Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which filed the lawsuit with GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders on behalf of the six service members

The readiness and physical capabilities of transgender service members is not different from that of other service members,

SPARTA said