EMILYs List: Transgender Military Ban “Morally Repugnant, Unconstitutional and Wrong”

August 25, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Trump signed a directive reinstating a ban on military service for transgender individuals. In response, Emily Cain, executive director of EMILY's List, released the following statement:

“This military ban is morally repugnant, unconstitutional and wrong. Every brave American who steps up to serve our country should be allowed to do so — period. The president is using the LGBTQ community as pawns for reckless political gain and the rights of these brave men and women are being trampled upon. We stand in solidarity with LGBTQ families and the patriotic Americans ready to serve.”

 EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $500 million to support pro-choice Democratic women candidates – making them one of the most successful political organizations ever. Our grassroots community of over five million members helps Democratic women wage competitive campaigns – and win. We recruit and train candidates, support strong campaigns, research the issues that impact women and families, and turn out women voters. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 116 women to the House, 23 to the Senate, 12 governors, and over 800 to state and local office. Forty percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Since the 2016 election, thousands of women and counting have reached out to us about running for office. To harness this energy, EMILYs List has launched Run to Win, an unprecedented effort to help more women run at the local, state, and national levels.