White House faces legal challenges to military gender order

The Trump administration as of Friday faced two lawsuits challenging an executive order prohibiting individuals who identify as transgender from serving in the military. Soldiers believing a lie about their own identity and forcing others to affirm that lie are not individuals capable of serving with the honor and integrity expected of U.S. service members, President Donald Trump said.

What are these two separate lawsuits?

• The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. filed a lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of several U.S. service members claiming that the directive was unconstitutional.

• Late last month, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders filed a separate lawsuit challenging the order on similar grounds. That lawsuit was also filed on behalf of U.S. service members alleging discrimination.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report in The Sift about how hospitals have paused transgender procedures following an executive order by Trump ending federal funding for such treatments for individuals under 19 years of age.