
State of California is Now a Plaintiff in Lawsuit Against Trump’s Transgender Military Ban, as Court Grants Attorney General Becerra’s Motion to Intervene
AG Becerra, NCLR, GLAD, and Equality California Note Significance of Court Granting the Opportunity to Consider Harm Being Inflicted Upon California’s 92,000 Transgender Residents
(CALIFORNIA, November 17, 2017)—In a significant development in the legal challenge to President Trump’s transgender military ban, last night the U.S. District Court for Central California granted Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s motion to intervene on behalf of the State of California in Stockman kiện Trump, a case brought by Equality California and seven individual plaintiffs challenging the ban.
“Our state is home to more than 130,000 active duty military personnel, in addition to more than 56,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves,” said Attorney General Becerra. “We are ready to get to work to defend the rights of transgender service members and those who seek to enlist in our armed forces. In California, we stand together against discrimination and inequality. We look forward to joining as a co-plaintiff in this critically important lawsuit to defend the rights of Californians against President Trump’s prejudicial and discriminatory agenda.”
“This is an important development in the fight to stop Trump’s transgender military ban for good,” said Giám đốc pháp lý của NCLR Shannon Minter. “In taking this action, the court recognized the crucial perspective our state with the largest military population brings to bear on the serious question it is being asked to address regarding the harms of this ban. We are grateful to Attorney General Becerra for joining us in this critical case.”
“Today we take another step forward in beating back Trump’s reckless ban,” said GLAD Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi. “It is incredibly significant to have the state of California – the most populous state in the nation — with us in this fight for service members, for those who wish to enlist, and for the stability and strength of the military.”
“We must stop Trump’s transgender military ban once and for all—too much is at stake for California, and for the nation,” said Equality California Executive Director Rick Zbur. “I want to thank Attorney General Becerra for joining in this effort to stop the ban, which discriminates against our state’s residents, has no rationale for being in place, and makes us less safe. Today’s action by the court makes us even more confident that it will rule decisively against the administration and their reckless policy.”
NCLR and GLAD serve as co-counsel in the case, filed on behalf of Equality California (EQCA) members and seven individual plaintiffs. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a motion to intervene on behalf of the State of California in an effort to protect the State and its 92,000 transgender residents from what he called a “patently discriminatory federal policy,” a motion the court granted earlier today.
Attorney General Becerra’s motion to intervene was based on several arguments, including that implementing Trump’s transgender military ban would:
- Impede the California National Guard’s ability to recruit and retain members that would protect the State’s natural resources in times of need,
- Force California to violate anti-discrimination laws and discriminate against its own residents in staffing the California National Guard, and
- Threaten the State’s ability to safeguard public institutions of higher learning from discrimination in ROTC programs.
The National Guard has been deployed more than 40,000 times since September 11, 2001, and there are currently 18,000 service members in the California National Guard. The Governor of California is the Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and relies on it in times of state emergencies, such as the recent massive wildfires across wine country. In 2014, The Williams Institute estimated that 6,700 transgender Americans were serving in the National Guard across the 50 states and found that transgender Americans were twice as likely to be serving or have served in our nation’s military.
Simultaneous to granting the motion to intervene, the court moved the previously scheduled November 20 hearing in Stockman kiện Trump to December 11, and requested additional briefing from the parties.
In addition to NCLR and GLAD, plaintiffs in Stockman kiện Trump are represented by Latham and Watkins LLP.
###
Bình đẳng California là tổ chức dân quyền LGBTQ lớn nhất toàn tiểu bang. Chúng tôi mang tiếng nói của cộng đồng LGBTQ và những người ủng hộ đến các thể chế quyền lực ở California và trên khắp Hoa Kỳ, nỗ lực tạo ra một thế giới lành mạnh, công bằng và hoàn toàn bình đẳng cho tất cả mọi người LGBTQ. Chúng tôi thúc đẩy quyền công dân và công lý xã hội bằng cách truyền cảm hứng, vận động và huy động thông qua một phong trào hòa nhập, hoạt động không ngừng nghỉ vì lợi ích của những người chúng tôi phục vụ. www.EQCA.org
Thông qua các vụ kiện chiến lược, vận động chính sách công và giáo dục, Luật sư và Người bảo vệ pháp lý GLBTQ hoạt động ở New England và trên toàn quốc để tạo ra một xã hội công bằng, không phân biệt đối xử dựa trên bản dạng và biểu hiện giới tính, tình trạng nhiễm HIV và khuynh hướng tình dục. www.GLAD.org
Trung tâm Quốc gia về Quyền của Người đồng tính nữ là một tổ chức pháp lý quốc gia cam kết thúc đẩy quyền con người và quyền công dân của cộng đồng đồng tính nữ, đồng tính nam, song tính và chuyển giới thông qua tố tụng, vận động chính sách công và giáo dục công chúng. www.NCLRights.org