Iowa Gov. Disagrees With Trump Ban On Transgender Troops
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she disagrees with President Donald Trump's ban on transgender individuals joining the military.
The Republican governor told reporters Monday that anyone who signs up for military service deserves appreciation and respect. Her office later said Reynolds doesn't plan to take any action in response.
Trump directed the Pentagon on Friday to implement the ban and gave the agency authority to decide the future of openly transgender people already serving.
It's unclear how man transgender Iowans serve in the military. An Iowa National Guard spokesman says no one has openly declared their status as transgender. Among Iowans serving in the federal armed forces, at least one transgender Army reservist told The Des Moines Register in July that he hopes to have a full military career.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's ban. The federal lawsuit was filed in Maryland on Monday by the ACLU of Maryland on behalf of several service members who are transgender.
The lawsuit says Trump's policy violates the equal protection rights of transgender service members who now have "grave reason to fear for their careers."
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