News
143 Dems to Trump: Reconsider the ‘indefensible’ trans military ban
Lawmakers make the case Trump policy won’t hold up in court
Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) is leading House Democrats in calling on President Trump to reconsider his trans military ban. (Photo public domain)
In the wake of President Trump making good on his pledge to ban transgender people from the U.S. military, 143 House Democrats led by Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.) are calling on him to “reconsider the ill-advised and indefensible policy.”
In a letter dated Aug. 29, the lawmakers dispute assertions transgender people would be a “disruption” to the military service — an argument Trump made in his memo directing the Pentagon to enact the ban.
“Rather, their sacrifices have made our nation safer and stronger,” the letter says. “Transgender service members wear the same uniform and complete the same missions as their cisgender peers. In combat, their lives are in equal peril. They serve with equal distinction; they are equally deserving of our gratitude and respect.”
Signers of the letter include members of the Democratic caucus: House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Chair of the Democratic Caucus Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.). Other signers are Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.), chair of the Transgender Task Force, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). No Republicans are among the signers.
“Implicitly, your ban denies the value of transgender service members, and it questions the professionalism of those who serve beside them,” the letter says. “Our Armed Forces have grown more equal and more inclusive over time, often in the face of strident opposition. In 1948, when President Truman moved to racially integrate the military, voices were raised in protest. They were raised again in 2010, when Congress at last repealed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ At every turn, those voices have been proven wrong.”
The House Democrats’ objection to Trump’s transgender military ban is consistent with unified opposition from the caucus to an amendment proposed by Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) that would have barred U.S. military payment for transition-related health care, including hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. The amendment was defeated on the House floor on a bipartisan basis before Trump banned transgender people from the military outright.
Trump issued his memo directing the U.S. military to ban transgender people from the armed forces on Friday, making good on his pledge via Twitter to bar them from the military “in any capacity.” Three lawsuits from LGBT legal groups are now pending before various federal courts seeking to overturn the policy.
With litigation underway, the letter from Democrats makes the case the trans military ban won’t hold up in court, calling the policy “indefensible.”
“We are deeply concerned about the clear unconstitutionality of your ban,” the letter says. “As existing case law makes clear, the government cannot discriminate against transgender people on the basis of their status or sex – and the military is not exempt from constitutional requirements. It is not clear to us that your administration has reckoned with these realities.”
A White House spokesperson had no comment in response to the letter said Trump stands behind his memo. Trump has defended his plan to ban transgender people by saying he’s doing the military “a favor” while making the (incorrect) claim he enjoys considerable support from the LGBT community.
District of Columbia
JR.’s hosts meet & greet for mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George
Event organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, Queers for Janeese
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George spoke to a crowd of LGBTQ supporters on June 1 at a meet & greet event held at JR.’s on 17th Street in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The event, organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, which has endorsed Lewis George for mayor, with support from a group called Queers for Janeese, was followed by a “get out the vote” canvassing endeavor in which several of those attending the meet & greet visited the homes of nearby residents known to be Lewis George supporters.
The purpose of the canvassing was to remind Lewis George supporters to return their mail-in ballots or go to the polls on June 16 to elect Lewis George as the city’s next mayor, according to Matthew Kavanagh, one of the leaders of Queers for Janeese who attended the meet & greet event at JR.’s.
Local political observers consider Lewis George, a Ward 4 D.C. Council member, and former At-Large D.C. Council member Kenyan McDuffie, to be the two leading candidates in this year’s race for mayor. The two are among seven mayoral candidates competing in the city’s June 16 Democratic primary.
Lewis George told those attending the meet & greet, which was held on the JR.’s outdoor patio, that she has a long record of advocating for and initiating city polices and laws in support of the LGBTQ community. She said large corporate donors were backing her opponents and urged her LGBTQ supporters to help raise funds for her in the remaining days of the campaign.
Among those attending the meet & greet was gay longtime Dupont Circle civic activist Randy Downs who last November opened a nearby eatery called Protest Pizza. “I am queer and I am a Janeese supporter,” Downs told the Blade.
Stevie McCarty, president of Capital Stonewall Democrats, who also spoke at the meet & greet event, said his group would organize events in support of Lewis George in the remaining days of the campaign. Among them, he said, was an LGBTQ bar crawl in which supporters of Lewis George, including the candidate herself, would visit LGBTQ bars to promote her candidacy.
Virginians for Marriage Equality on Monday launched a campaign in support of repealing Virginia’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman, former state Sen. Adam Ebbin, former state Del. Mark Sickles, and American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer are among those who spoke at the launch that took place in Richmond. State Del. Kirk McPike (D-Alexandria), who co-chairs the campaign, also participated.
“This amendment is about making clear that the government has no business deciding which marriages or which families are worthy of recognition,” said Bauer. “The ACLU of Virginia has been fighting for Virginians’ right to marry who they love since the landmark case, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down the ban on interracial marriage. Now we are proud to carry that legacy forward by standing with our coalition partners in the fight to pass this amendment and finally enshrine the right to marriage equality in the commonwealth’s constitution.”
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is a Republican, in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger in February signed a bill that finalized the referendum’s language.
The referendum will take place on Nov. 3.
National
White House Correspondents’ Dinner rescheduled after shooting
‘We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word’
The White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Tuesday that it has rescheduled its annual dinner for July 24 after the April event was halted when gunshots rang out at the Washington Hilton.
Cole Allen, 31, is charged with the attempted assassination of President Trump, who was in the ballroom at the time of the incident. One Secret Service officer was wounded in the attack. Officers stopped Allen before he could enter the ballroom where 2,500 journalists and politicos were having dinner and waiting for Trump to speak. It was Trump’s first time attending as president.
“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for,” said WHCA President Weijia Jiang in a statement to members.
She did not announce further details, including venue and ticketing.
Washington Blade White House reporter Joe Reberkenny was in the audience when shots were fired and reported live on social media from the scene.
This post will be updated as more details are announced.
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