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Critics of President Donald Trump's efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military protested in New York City's Times Square in 2017. (Photo: Jere Keys/Flickr/cc)
With Rollout of New Rules, Trump Admin Signs Off on 'Purge' of Trans Troops
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
Mar 13, 2019
The Trump administration on Tuesday took a major step to bar transgender troops from the U.S. military, kick-starting a constitutionally dubious "purge" with a new set of rules sure to continue its drawn out battle over the policy in federal courts.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office."
--Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE
"The start of this looming purge represents an unprecedented step backward in the social and civil progress of our country and our military," Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), said in a statement.
President Donald Trump initially announced a ban on trans troops with a series of tweets in 2017--signaling his intention to reverse a policy implemented under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that was praised by much of the LGBTQ community.
Trump's attempts to expel trans people from service and block them from enlisting sparked legal challenges, but in January, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority gave the green light for the administration to pursue its "bigoted" and "cruel" effort while fights in court continue.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office," Tobin said, calling on Congress to block the policy.
Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that has conducted research on trans people serving in the military. With these rules, he said, "the Trump administration has chosen prejudice and politics over the truth of open service as revealed by the testimonies of dozens of medical and military leaders and the service and sacrifice of 14,700 transgender service members."
Despite ongoing litigation, the second-in-command at the Defense Department signed off on a memo (pdf) detailing the administration's official rules. As of April 12, transgender service members and new applicants only can serve under their "biological sex," effectively forcing them to conceal their gender identity or leave the military.
\u201cIf you are reporting on the #TransMilitaryBan do not repeat the administration\u2019s lie that it isn\u2019t a ban because people can serve in their \u201cbiological sex\u201d. That is the definition of a ban on trans service. Have at least enough respect for us to honor that we exist.\u201d— Chase Strangio (@Chase Strangio) 1552439026
New applicants with gender dysphoria--a medical diagnosis for someone who experiences distress tied to the difference between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender they believe themselves to be--are "presumptively disqualified" (pdf), as are those with a history of medical transition treatment--specifically, cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Current service members who joined the military in their preferred gender or are diagnosed with gender dysphoria before the Trump administration's policy takes effect are exempt from the new rules. Under the Pentagon's policy, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
--Jennifer Levi, GLAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are among the groups who have taken the administration to court over the trans troop ban and other anti-LGBTQ policies.
"With brazen disregard for the judicial process, the Pentagon is prematurely and illegally rolling out a plan to implement the ban when a court injunction remains in place prohibiting them from doing so," noted Jennifer Levi, GLAD's Transgender Rights Project director. "In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
NCLR legal director Shannon Minter vowed to "continue our fight in the courts until the ban is permanently blocked," but also called on Congress to take swift action and urged "everyone who cares about the integrity of our military and the well-being of our troops to contact your representatives and tell them to support this legislation."
This post has been updated with a link to the Pentagon memo and details from the directive.
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The Trump administration on Tuesday took a major step to bar transgender troops from the U.S. military, kick-starting a constitutionally dubious "purge" with a new set of rules sure to continue its drawn out battle over the policy in federal courts.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office."
--Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE
"The start of this looming purge represents an unprecedented step backward in the social and civil progress of our country and our military," Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), said in a statement.
President Donald Trump initially announced a ban on trans troops with a series of tweets in 2017--signaling his intention to reverse a policy implemented under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that was praised by much of the LGBTQ community.
Trump's attempts to expel trans people from service and block them from enlisting sparked legal challenges, but in January, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority gave the green light for the administration to pursue its "bigoted" and "cruel" effort while fights in court continue.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office," Tobin said, calling on Congress to block the policy.
Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that has conducted research on trans people serving in the military. With these rules, he said, "the Trump administration has chosen prejudice and politics over the truth of open service as revealed by the testimonies of dozens of medical and military leaders and the service and sacrifice of 14,700 transgender service members."
Despite ongoing litigation, the second-in-command at the Defense Department signed off on a memo (pdf) detailing the administration's official rules. As of April 12, transgender service members and new applicants only can serve under their "biological sex," effectively forcing them to conceal their gender identity or leave the military.
\u201cIf you are reporting on the #TransMilitaryBan do not repeat the administration\u2019s lie that it isn\u2019t a ban because people can serve in their \u201cbiological sex\u201d. That is the definition of a ban on trans service. Have at least enough respect for us to honor that we exist.\u201d— Chase Strangio (@Chase Strangio) 1552439026
New applicants with gender dysphoria--a medical diagnosis for someone who experiences distress tied to the difference between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender they believe themselves to be--are "presumptively disqualified" (pdf), as are those with a history of medical transition treatment--specifically, cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Current service members who joined the military in their preferred gender or are diagnosed with gender dysphoria before the Trump administration's policy takes effect are exempt from the new rules. Under the Pentagon's policy, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
--Jennifer Levi, GLAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are among the groups who have taken the administration to court over the trans troop ban and other anti-LGBTQ policies.
"With brazen disregard for the judicial process, the Pentagon is prematurely and illegally rolling out a plan to implement the ban when a court injunction remains in place prohibiting them from doing so," noted Jennifer Levi, GLAD's Transgender Rights Project director. "In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
NCLR legal director Shannon Minter vowed to "continue our fight in the courts until the ban is permanently blocked," but also called on Congress to take swift action and urged "everyone who cares about the integrity of our military and the well-being of our troops to contact your representatives and tell them to support this legislation."
This post has been updated with a link to the Pentagon memo and details from the directive.
The Trump administration on Tuesday took a major step to bar transgender troops from the U.S. military, kick-starting a constitutionally dubious "purge" with a new set of rules sure to continue its drawn out battle over the policy in federal courts.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office."
--Harper Jean Tobin, NCTE
"The start of this looming purge represents an unprecedented step backward in the social and civil progress of our country and our military," Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), said in a statement.
President Donald Trump initially announced a ban on trans troops with a series of tweets in 2017--signaling his intention to reverse a policy implemented under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that was praised by much of the LGBTQ community.
Trump's attempts to expel trans people from service and block them from enlisting sparked legal challenges, but in January, the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing majority gave the green light for the administration to pursue its "bigoted" and "cruel" effort while fights in court continue.
"The Trump administration is built on demonizing minority groups; reversing the civil rights gains of immigrants, people of color, women, and the LGBTQ movement will forever remain the hallmarks of their time in office," Tobin said, calling on Congress to block the policy.
Aaron Belkin is the director of the Palm Center, a think tank that has conducted research on trans people serving in the military. With these rules, he said, "the Trump administration has chosen prejudice and politics over the truth of open service as revealed by the testimonies of dozens of medical and military leaders and the service and sacrifice of 14,700 transgender service members."
Despite ongoing litigation, the second-in-command at the Defense Department signed off on a memo (pdf) detailing the administration's official rules. As of April 12, transgender service members and new applicants only can serve under their "biological sex," effectively forcing them to conceal their gender identity or leave the military.
\u201cIf you are reporting on the #TransMilitaryBan do not repeat the administration\u2019s lie that it isn\u2019t a ban because people can serve in their \u201cbiological sex\u201d. That is the definition of a ban on trans service. Have at least enough respect for us to honor that we exist.\u201d— Chase Strangio (@Chase Strangio) 1552439026
New applicants with gender dysphoria--a medical diagnosis for someone who experiences distress tied to the difference between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender they believe themselves to be--are "presumptively disqualified" (pdf), as are those with a history of medical transition treatment--specifically, cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery.
Current service members who joined the military in their preferred gender or are diagnosed with gender dysphoria before the Trump administration's policy takes effect are exempt from the new rules. Under the Pentagon's policy, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis.
"In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
--Jennifer Levi, GLAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) are among the groups who have taken the administration to court over the trans troop ban and other anti-LGBTQ policies.
"With brazen disregard for the judicial process, the Pentagon is prematurely and illegally rolling out a plan to implement the ban when a court injunction remains in place prohibiting them from doing so," noted Jennifer Levi, GLAD's Transgender Rights Project director. "In addition to being unlawful, moving forward with this ban is also deeply immoral and deeply insulting to the many transgender troops who are bravely serving their country."
NCLR legal director Shannon Minter vowed to "continue our fight in the courts until the ban is permanently blocked," but also called on Congress to take swift action and urged "everyone who cares about the integrity of our military and the well-being of our troops to contact your representatives and tell them to support this legislation."
This post has been updated with a link to the Pentagon memo and details from the directive.
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LATEST NEWS
Mamdani Holds 'Commanding' Lead in NYC Mayor Race—and Cuomo Has 'Extremely Tough' Climb: Poll
"Eric Adams is a complete non-factor in this race," remarked a founding partner of pollster Zenith Research.
Jul 29, 2025
A new poll of the New York City mayoral race found that Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is very well positioned to win later this year and that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is only competitive in the race if every other Mamdani opponent drops out.
The survey, which was conducted by polling firm Zenith Research, showed Mamdani holding what Zenith founding partner Adam Carlson described on X as a "commanding" lead of 28 points among likely voters in a five-way race featuring Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and independent candidate Jim Walden. Even in other scenarios where other candidates drop out of the race, Mamdani would still garner more than 50% of likely votes in each instance.
However, Mamdani's lead becomes much smaller when the poll is expanded to all registered voters, among whom he only holds a three-point advantage over Cuomo in a head-to-head matchup. This suggests that Cuomo has room to grow as long as he can convince Adams, Sliwa, and Walden to exit the race.
Even so, commented Carlson, Cuomo faces significant headwinds that could block his path to victory even if he succeeds somehow in making it a one-on-one race.
"Another thing that’s extremely tough for Cuomo is that 60% of likely voters (as well as 52% of registered voters) would not even consider voting for him," he explained. "Only 32% say they wouldn't consider voting for Mamdani. Cuomo will need to go scorched earth to bring that number up."
New Yorkers who oppose Mamdani will have to place their hopes in the disgraced former governor, given the dismal standing held by incumbent Adams.
"Eric Adams is a complete non-factor in this race," remarked Carlson. "He polls at 7% in the five-way race, 14% if Cuomo drops out, and 32% if Cuomo and Sliwa drop out. More than half of [likely voters] strongly disapprove of his performance and have a very unfavorable view of him. 68% won't consider voting for him."
The poll also found Mamdani with an overall lead among Jewish voters despite efforts by opponents to paint him as antisemitic given his opposition to Israel's war in Gaza and his past reluctance to criticize the slogan "globalize the intifada," which he told The Bulwark he viewed as "a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights." New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a progressive Jewish ally of Mamdani's who has endorsed his mayoral bid, acknowledged before the election that some Jewish people view the phrase as a threat of violence.
Among likely Jewish voters, Mamdani leads Cuomo by 17 points in a five-way race. Although Cuomo holds a double-digit lead over Mamdani among likely Jewish voters over the age of 45, Mamdani dominates among young Jewish voters by pulling in more than two-thirds of likely Jewish voters between the ages of 18 and 44.
Sanders Launches Probe After RFK Jr. Stacked Immunization Panel With 'Vaccine Deniers'
"These individuals have already taken steps to upend decades of scientific research and vaccine policy, threatening the health and safety of all Americans," said a letter signed by Sanders and seven other Democratic senators.
Jul 29, 2025
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday launched an investigation into U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s purge of independent experts from a panel on vaccine recommendations.
Last month, Kennedy announced that he was "retiring" all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, commonly known as ACIP, despite promising during his Senate confirmation hearing to keep the committee intact.
At the time, Sanders (I-Vt.)—chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions—warned that "firing independent vaccine experts is a dangerous, unprecedented move that will make it harder for the American people to access vaccines that are safe, effective, and essential to saving lives."
After the firings, Kennedy said, "We're going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel—not anti-vaxxers—bringing people on who are credentialed scientists."
In a letter sent to Kennedy Tuesday, Sanders and seven other Democratic senators said those fears have come to pass. Kennedy, they said, has replaced the panel of experts with "prominent vaccine deniers."
The most prominent of these figures is Dr. Robert Malone, who has described it as "high praise" to be dubbed an "anti-vaxxer."
Malone gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic by casting doubt on the illness's severity and baselessly suggesting that the mRNA vaccines used to treat the disease were "causing a form of AIDS."
Earlier this year, Malone also attempted to foment doubt that children had died due to the unprecedented measles outbreak in Texas.
Kennedy also appointed the former leader of his anti-vaccine organization, the Children's Health Defense, Lyn Redwood, a longtime proponent of the false belief that the vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) causes autism.
Also on the committee is Vicky Pebsworth Debold, founder of the National Vaccine Information Center—one of the longest-running anti-vaccine organizations in America—who has argued that a vaccination caused her child's autism.
ACIP is in charge of examining scientific findings to make recommendations to the public about which vaccines to get and when.
"These individuals," the senators said, "have already taken steps to upend decades of scientific research and vaccine policy, threatening the health and safety of all Americans."
When Kennedy's new handpicked committee met for the first time in late June, the members made substantial changes to vaccine policy and hinted at others coming in the future.
The most significant change they made was the recommendation that Americans receive flu vaccinations free of the preservative thimerosal—which is partially made of mercury and prevents germs and fungi from contaminating batches of vaccines.
Thimerosal, which is a component of many multidose vaccines, has never been found harmful by any scientific study. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided a document to the committee that included 25 years of studies indicating thimerosal's safety. But that document was removed from the meeting without explanation.
When they questioned ACIP about its removal, the senators say Malone replied that it was "not authorized by the office of the secretary," which the senators concluded meant that Kennedy or one of his staff "had the document taken off CDC’s website."
Instead of credible science, Redwood presented a report likely generated by artificial intelligence, which included many debunked claims about the dangers of thimerosal, and even made reference to a CDC study on the dangers of the preservative that did not exist.
Kennedy's ACIP also determined that it would revise the childhood vaccine schedule that has been in place for decades. That schedule includes vaccines for polio, chickenpox, diphtheria, and tetanus—illnesses that once routinely killed children but have been virtually eradicated by mass immunization.
The recommended vaccine schedule, the senators noted, determines what immunizations are required to be covered by health insurance companies and government programs like Medicaid and Medicare.
"If insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs stop covering vaccines, Americans will be forced to pay out of pocket," the senators said. "The only people who will be able to afford vaccines will be the wealthy."
The senators warned that this, along with Kennedy and his appointees' undermining of vaccine science, would result in "a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases."
Under Kennedy, the U.S. has already experienced its largest measles outbreak in 33 years, which has resulted in the first deaths from the disease in over a decade, following a downswing in measles vaccination.
Despite this, Kennedy has continued to downplay the disease's severity and the vaccine's well-documented effectiveness, even claiming that it causes "deaths every year."
The senators demanded that Kennedy provide information about why each of the nonpartisan members of ACIP were fired, and what criteria and vetting process was used to pick the anti-vaccine figures who replaced them.
"The harm your actions will cause is significant," the senators told Kennedy. "As your new ACIP makes recommendations based on pseudoscience, fewer and fewer Americans will have access to fewer and fewer vaccines. And as you give a platform to conspiracy theorists, and even promote their theories yourself, Americans will continue to lose confidence in whatever vaccines are still available."
Third DOJ Whistleblower Unveils New Allegations That Bove Misled Senate About Adams Case
"What will come out next about Bove?" said one senator as a confirmation vote loomed. "That's precisely the problem with this disaster of a nominee. And why Senate Republicans are rushing through his nomination."
Jul 29, 2025
With the U.S. Senate poised to vote as early as Tuesday on Trump administration official Emil Bove's nomination for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge, a third whistleblower came forward with information about Bove's conduct at the Department of Justice and Democratic senators made their latest push to stop his confirmation.
As The Washington Post reported, a whistleblower shared evidence with lawmakers that Bove, the principal associate deputy attorney general and a former personal attorney to President Donald Trump, misled the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding his role in the DOJ's dismissal of corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
During his confirmation hearing in June, Bove told senators that U.S. District Judge Dale Ho granted the DOJ's motion to dismiss the Adams case because it "reflected a valid exercise of prosecutorial discretion."
He denied the existence of the DOJ deal with Adams to drop the charges in exchange for the mayor's cooperation with Trump's mass deportation agenda, saying that "the suggestion that there was some kind of quid pro quo was just plain false."
The decision to drop the charges led several prosecutors to resign from the DOJ in protest.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee and condemned Republicans' decision to advance Bove's nomination earlier this month, first received evidence from the third whistleblower, according to the Post. Several other Democrats have also reviewed the evidence, which Booker told the outlet was "significant."
"We have substantial information relevant to the truthfulness of the nominee," Booker said on the Senate floor, calling on Republicans on the committee to review the new evidence.
"Another whistleblower has come forward with evidence that raises serious concerns with Emil Bove's misconduct. Senate Republicans will bear full responsibility for the consequences if they rubber stamp Mr. Bove's nomination."
Lawyers for the anonymous whistleblower told the Post on Tuesday that they had turned over the new information provided by the person to the DOJ inspector general.
Booker was joined by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Tuesday in calling on the DOJ's inspector general to promptly open an investigation into Bove in light of the latest whistleblower complaint.
"In the event these whistleblower complaints and other reports have not already prompted investigations by your office, we urge you to undertake a thorough review of these disclosures and allegations," said the lawmakers.
Two other whistleblowers have come forward in recent weeks, alleging Bove told DOJ lawyers to ignore court orders that would impede Trump's mass deportation agenda. Former DOJ attorneys and federal and state judges have urged the Senate to oppose his nomination.
Schiff condemned Republicans on the committee for attempting to dismiss the whistleblowers' complaints.
"What will come out next about Bove?" said Schiff. "That's precisely the problem with this disaster of a nominee. And why Senate Republicans are rushing through his nomination. Before more disqualifying information can come out."
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) emphasized that the fight to stop Bove's confirmation "isn't over, even when subservient Senate Republicans ignore another whistleblower and shove this character through their new-low, hide-the-ball Senate confirmation process and onto the bench."
Republicans can afford to lose only three votes for Bove and still confirm him with a tie-breaker vote from Vice President JD Vance. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are expected to oppose him.
Josh Sorbe, a spokesperson for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Judiciary Committee's ranking member, said the latest complaint is "another damning indictment of a man who should never be a federal judge."
"Another whistleblower has come forward with evidence that raises serious concerns with Emil Bove's misconduct," said Sorbe. "Senate Republicans will bear full responsibility for the consequences if they rubber stamp Mr. Bove's nomination."
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