Military must accept transgender service members by Jan 1, federal court rules

On Monday, US District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the District of Columbia issued a clarification that the US military must accept transgender service members into their ranks by January 1. Her injunction forces the military to adhere to policies laid down by former President Barack Obama, which allowed transgender people to enlist in military service beginning January 1, 2018. The ruling comes on the heels of a presidential order issued by Trump in August, which ordered the military to stop the enlistment of transgender individuals and halt the use of funds to pay for gender transition-related surgery. The court partially blocked that policy from being implemented last month and also blocked President Trump’s proposed policy to potentially kick already-enlisted transgender service members out. The court ruled that the policy could not be enforced while the case was being reviewed in court. (The Hill)