U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the injunction that had blocked President Trump’s ban on transgender service members:
“Transgender service members have been serving in our military with honor and distinction. They are willing to die for this country, they make extraordinary sacrifices for our freedom, and they are unafraid to fight for our most sacred values as Americans. Banning them from military service is a rebuke of their patriotism, it undermines our military readiness, and it goes against the Congressional testimony of the heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, who each confirmed that transgender service members are serving in our military without any problems.
“I strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to allow this discriminatory ban to take effect, and I will continue to do everything I can to reverse this hateful policy. I was proud to introduce bipartisan legislation with the late Senator John McCain to protect our currently serving transgender service members and ensure that they can continue to do their jobs and serve with dignity. New transgender recruits have joined our military since then, and I will be introducing an updated version of the bill that will also ensure that any transgender American who meets the standards can sign up to join our Armed Forces.”