US military to accept transgender recruits

WASHINGTON DC: The Pentagon said on Friday that transgender people will be allowed to enlist in the United States military for the first time starting tomorrow, after President Donald Trump’s administration decided not to appeal rulings that blocked his transgender ban.

Two Federal Appeals Courts, one in Washington and one in Virginia, last week, rejected the administration’s request to put on hold orders by lower court judges requiring the military to begin accepting transgender recruits on Jan 1.

A Justice Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The Department of Defence (DoD) has announced that it will be releasing an independent study of these issues in the coming weeks. So, rather than litigate this interim appeal before that occurs, the administration has decided to wait for DoD’s study and will continue to defend the president’s lawful authority in district court in the meantime.”

In September, the Pentagon said it had created a panel of senior officials to study how to implement a directive by Trump to prohibit transgender individuals from serving. The Defence Department has until Feb 21 to submit a plan to Trump.

Jennifer Levi, a lawyer with gay, lesbian and transgender advocacy group GLAD, called the decision not to appeal “great news”.

“I’m hoping it means the government has come to see that there is no way to justify a ban and that it’s not good for the military or our country,” she added. Reuters