The House of Representatives on Thursday split almost cleanly along party lines in a vote to rebuke President Donald Trump for his ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, as Democrats denounced the decision as a bigoted stain on the armed services.
"We will not stand for ignorance and bigotry in our military or anywhere else," said Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
"I am proud to vote against a discriminatory ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and uphold our commitment to equality across our nation," said Rep. Joe Negeuse (D-CO).
"All Americans who want to serve, who meet our standards, should be given the right to fight," said Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD), as all Democrats voted for the plan, while six Republicans broke ranks on the measure.
"It reflects bias. It reflects prejudice," said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
Transgender service members are patriots who sacrifice for our country every day. They've served bravely & openly in our military since 2016 and should be celebrated for their skill and selfless commitment, not persecuted for who they are. #TransVisibilityWeek pic.twitter.com/1lxyHJgyOh
— Paul Tonko ⚫️ (@RepPaulTonko) March 28, 2019
Earlier this week, a federal appeals court in Washington allowed the transgender ban to go forward beginning on April 12; the U.S. Supreme Court had already allowed the President's ban to go forward.
Legal challenges to the ban are still expected, and could ultimately wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court again.
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