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LGBTQ Organizations Are Suing the President On Behalf of 5 Trans Soldiers

Transgender Ban
Olga R. Rodriguez/AP

The lawsuit comes in response to the president's transgender military ban. 

While many of us are busy preparing our fallout shelters for a nuclear winter, a heroic few are still taking on the president one lawsuit at a time. It may seem like the transgender military ban happened a decade ago given how fast the news cycle moves these days but it's still fresh in the minds of many--including the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).

Related | Gallery: NYC Protests Trump's Transgender Military Ban

On Wednesday, the two LGBTQ organizations filed a lawsuit against the president on behalf of five transgender members of the Air Force, the Coast Guard, and the Army. "The President's announcement, which upon information and belief was made without consulting the Joint Chiefs of Staff, upset the reasonable expectations of Plaintiffs and thousands of other transgender service members and the men and women with whom they serve and fight," the lawsuit reads. "Execution of the President's directive will result in an end to service by openly transgender service members and has already resulted in immediate, concrete injury to Plaintiffs by unsettling and destabilizing plaintiffs' reasonable expectation of continued service."

The lawsuit is built on the case that Trump's tweet will destroy the lives of the five service members who've "built their lives around their military service" because his tweet specifically states that transgender service members will not be able to serve in "any capacity."

Related | Doctor Offers Free Surgery for Trans Military Personnel After Trump's Ban

It's not yet clear how the lawsuit will play out moving forward considering the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sent out a memo stating that there will be "no modifications to the current policy until the President's direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance." The ban, like many of the president's other ideas, also happens to be grossly unconstitutional.

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Chris Thomas