US Naval officer files suit against transgender military ban News
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US Naval officer files suit against transgender military ban

A US Naval officer in Massachusetts filed suit against the Department of Defense for discrimination under the current administration’s transgender military ban Tuesday.

The plaintiff is going by the name James Doe in the interest of privacy. Doe came out as transgender after the ban went into effect in 2019, so she was not protected by the military’s grandfather clause. This clause allowed transgender individuals to continue their service if they came out before the ban.

Jennifer Levi, project director at GLBT Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) stated that, “As an experienced officer, all she seeks is the ability to continue serving her country.”

The complaint states that, “The Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment grants Plaintiff constitutional liberties and a fundamental right to privacy that encompasses and protects Plaintiff’s right to self identification and self-determination as a transgender person.” The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in a federal district court in Massachusetts.

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