Two transgender military service members, both of whom have already undergone sex changes from female to male, are taking the Trump administration to court over executive orders that not only banned transgender individuals from serving in the military but also recognize only two sexes, male and female.
The lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey by Master Sgt. Logan Ireland and Staff Sgt. Nicholas Bear Bade, two biologically female service members who transitioned to male, argues the executive orders subject the Air Force personnel “to unequal, harmful, and demeaning treatment.”
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The lawsuit continues that the executive orders mean the non-commissioned officers’ “future in the Air Force is in jeopardy” as they have been put on administrative leave unless they serve as their biological sex.
“It is not possible, though, for either Plaintiff to serve as a woman because each one has medically transitioned to be and live as a man,” the lawsuit states.
Both service members “reasonably fear” imminent separation proceedings against them after the Trump administration issued a memorandum warning transgender troops in the Air Force and Space Force have until March 26 to resign, saying that individuals with gender dysphoria are “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”
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“Simply put, Master Sergeant Ireland and Staff Sergeant Bade have a constitutional right not to be separated from military service based on their transgender status, a characteristic that has nothing to do with their fitness or ability to serve,” the lawsuit reads.
Both service members began their gender transition more than 10 years ago and have since racked up several honorable accolades while serving in the military, court documents show. Both airmen contest that their longstanding careers will take a hit, affecting their livelihood and families, if forced to resign.
This is the third lawsuit the Trump administration has been hit with over his transgender military order, and one of at least 12 others against Trump’s “two-sexes” order. The lawsuit requests the court to block Trump’s order from taking effect, which if granted would add to a pile of district judges bucking several of Trump’s executive orders.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
