This week, a federal judge overturned President Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, first announced in July. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the proposed ban was discriminatory and violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution. As the judge wrote in her ruling, “On the record before the Court, there is absolutely no support for the claim that the ongoing service of transgender people would have any negative effective on the military at all. In fact, there is considerable evidence that it is the discharge and banning of such individuals that would have such effects”

The ruling came in the case of Doe vs. Trump, a suit filed on behalf of five transgender service members by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD). In a statement following the ruling, NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter stated, “This is a complete victory for our plaintiffs and all transgender service members, who are now once again able to serve on equal terms and without the threat of being discharged. We are grateful to the court for recognizing the gravity of these issues and putting a stop to this dangerous policy, which has wreaked havoc in the lives of transgender service members and their families.”