Image by Getty

By Josh Nathan-Kazis July 28, 2017

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman joined 19 other state attorneys general in a letter to Congress yesterday, calling on legislators to protect transgender people serving in the armed services.

The letter comes days after a puzzling series of tweets in which President Donald Trump seemed to imply that transgender people currently serving in the military could be expelled. Pentagon leaders later clarified that no such expulsion had been ordered.

In their letter, the attorneys general asked that the National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress hopes to pass in the coming days, include language banning discrimination against transgender people, and disallowing any future transgender ban.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“The policy announced by President Trump’s tweet undermines the national security goal of giving every able American who wants to serve in the military the opportunity to serve, creates untold bureaucratic and legal cost and complexities in implementation, and would put in place a policy that violates fundamental constitutional and American values,” the letter reads.

In a statement about his signing, Schneiderman said that his office is committed to the proection of transgender individuals.

“Transgender Americans who fight for our country deserve a government that will fight for them in return,” Schnedierman said.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at [email protected] or on Twitter, @joshnathankazis.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount