Civil Rights

The Washington Post reports:  A bloc of 45 U.S. senators is asking the Pentagon not to discharge any transgender service members until the Defense Department completes an ongoing review of whether they should be able to continue serving in uniform. The letter holds no legal sway over the Pentagon and lawmakers cannot stop President Trump from carrying out his stated …

Reuters reports: A majority of Americans believe that transgender individuals should be allowed to serve in the military, according to an exclusive Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday. The July 26-28 poll suggested that the country largely disagrees with President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he will ban transgender personnel from the armed forces. When asked to weigh in …

Politico reports: Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen said Friday that a Twitter announcement of the type President Donald Trump made this week banning transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military would have been enough for him to consider resigning. “I would have called the president, asked for a meeting with the president, and [said] ‘Mr. President, before you …

The Hill reports: Defense Secretary James Mattis was caught off-guard by President Trump’s announcement that he was banning transgender people from serving in the military, according to a New York Times report. Mattis, who was on vacation at the time of Trump’s decision, only had one day’s worth of notice before Trump tweeted his announcement of the policy, the paper …

Reuters reports: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Joseph Dunford, said in a written message on Thursday to military leaders that there has been no change yet to the military’s policy on transgender personnel, despite plans for a ban announced by President Donald Trump. “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s …

USA Today reports: A report for the Pentagon last year found that transition-related care would cost between about $2.4 and $8.4 million per year — less than 0.14% of the military’s medical budget. That’s roughly the cost of four of Trump’s trips to Mar-A-Lago, GQ noted, even using a conservative estimate of $2 million per trip. And it’s way less …

Dominic Holden reports at Buzzfeed: The US Justice Department on Wednesday argued in a major federal lawsuit that a 1964 civil rights law doesn’t protect gay workers from discrimination, thereby diverging from a separate, autonomous federal agency that had supported the gay plaintiff’s case. The Trump administration’s filing is unusual in part because the Justice Department isn’t a party in …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s new plan to ban transgender people from the military is running into opposition from a key ally: Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the veteran said Ernst has served with people “from all different backgrounds” and that gender is not a vital indicator of someone’s military prowess. “She believes what …

Caitlyn Jenner has finally weighed in on Trump’s anti-transgender edict. Romper reminds us of her history: Caitlyn Jenner, arguably one of the more high profile celebrity advocates for transgender rights, has been public in the past with her reported attempts to affect change within the Republican Party. She has admitted that the Democratic Party is “better on all LGBT issues,” …

“I don’t think anybody should be discriminating against anyone. Transgender people are people, and deserve the best we can do for them. I look forward to getting much more information and clarity from our military leaders about the policy the President tweeted today.” – Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, via press release.

“The president’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made by Twitter. The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense has already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and …

Everybody was caught by surprise by this morning’s anti-transgender tweets, including the Pentagon, but the press releases are starting to roll in. Here’s some of what I’ve gotten so far. From the Democratic National Committee: Right this moment, around the world, brave transgender service members are protecting the American people – including Donald Trump and Mike Pence. While the White …

The Texas Tribune reports: As part of Republican efforts to revive the controversial “bathroom bill,” the Texas Senate on Tuesday gave initial approval to another version of the legislation. The 21-10 vote — identical to the Senate’s March vote on a similar proposal — came after several amendments to the bill on the floor throughout an eight-hour debate during which …

CBS News reports: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation Friday requiring the state to give guidance to public schools about policies for transgender students, including blocking the schools from forcing the students from using bathrooms that conflict with their gender identities. The civil rights group Garden State Equality applauded the Republican governor for signing the measure saying that Christie …

The Texas Tribune reports: For the third time this year, a committee of state lawmakers will consider measures to restrict bathroom use for transgender residents in what’s expected to be an hours-long hearing Friday that could draw out hundreds of Texans to testify. On the Senate State Affairs Committee’s agenda are Senate Bill 3 and Senate Bill 91 — both …

Via press release from the ACLU: The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against four federal agencies demanding documents from the Trump administration that provide clarity on how the administration plans to implement its ‘religious freedom’ executive order. The ACLU initially filed records requests with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, …

The Texas Tribune reports: On the opening day of the special session of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday, over the cries of Senate Democrats, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took a step to fast-track two bills reauthorizing the Texas Medical Board and four other state agencies jeopardized by inaction during the regular session. The Senate must first pass those bills before …

The Associated Press reports: A transgender Texan has posted an all-smiles photo with Gov. Greg Abbott to protest a “bathroom bill” that state lawmakers will again consider during a special legislative session beginning Tuesday. Ashley Smith posed with Abbott after he announced his re-election campaign Friday in San Antonio. She later identified herself in the photo as “trans-woman” and posted …

That was quick. Haaretz reports: Minister of Welfare and Social Services Haim Katz responded on Monday to the report, first reported in Haaretz Sunday, that Israel opposes the adoption of children by LGBT couples. Katz’s office issued a statement reading: “Unfortunately, the wording submitted to the High Court was wrong and it would have been better if it was never …

The Times Of Israel reports: The government announced on Sunday that there are no intentions to change the law and allow gay couples to adopt in Israel. In response to a High Court petition, the state said that it was opposed to allowing same-sex couples to adopt because it would place an “additional burden” on the child. “The professional opinion …