The Pentagon will begin removing transgender troops from the military after the Supreme Court ruled last week that a ban could be enforced as lawsuits progress.

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender people from serving. As the Pentagon put the policy in place, it faced a number of legal challenges.

Navy veteran Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America, said the court's decision has left many transgender service members in Maryland in a difficult situation.

"People are worried about what comes next, where they're going to live, what their health care situation is going to be, how they're going to be employed, how quickly they're going to be purged from the military," said Church. "And all of these things are also happening at the same time that they're still wearing the uniform and continuing to carry out their jobs, whether that be here or on deployment. They're taking care of our nation and they're also wondering if they're going to have a job."

In the executive order, Trump wrote that transgender people lack the "humility and selflessness" to serve in the military.

At an event last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said the military is done with pronouns.

Some estimates put the number of transgender service members at higher than 15,000, just under 1% of troops.

Opponents of the ban say nearly 75% of transgender troops have served for more than a decade, adding transgender people are twice as likely to have served in the military.

Church said that if the Pentagon wants to have a lethal and effective military, then transgender participation is necessary.

"You're looking at many, many, many years and a lot of investment that's going to be lost by the Department of Defense in the interest of bias," said Church. "Most of this policy has been continued to proved to be rooted in animus and bias, and not in actual benefits to our national security."

A Gallup poll in February found 58% of Americans support allowing transgender people to openly serve in the military.

That's a drop from 71% in 2019, largely driven by declining support among Republicans.




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Amid concerns about the breakdown in protections for LGBTQ folks, a New Mexico advocacy group says resilience is needed to ensure their safety and freedom.

The state has been a leader in protecting and celebrating LGBTQ rights and inclusivity, dating back to 2003, said Layla Garcia, communications associate with Equality New Mexico. That's when the legislature passed a law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in such areas as employment, housing, and public accommodations.

She noted that those protections have been consistently strengthened over time, but said vigilance is needed now more than ever.

"With all of the attacks that we're seeing on queer and trans folks from hostile governments," said Garcia, "it's really important that we mobilize and keep people informed on things that are going to be impacting them."

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that a Tennessee law prohibiting some medical treatments for transgender youths does not violate the U.S. Constitution -- ultimately shielding 20 other states with similar laws.

Because of its current laws, trans New Mexican youth and their parents don't need to worry about the recent ruling affecting their access to gender-affirming care.

At the same time, Garcia said these types of rulings can lead to difficulties in receiving medical care and encourage discrimination.

"We're already seeing the attempts at trans sports bans, and cuts to HIV and AIDS treatment and funding for those resources," said Garcia. "So, when things like this happen, even though we are protected, it just emboldens people, even here, to continue their attacks."

Equality New Mexico issued a statement following the high court's ruling in the U.S. vs Skrmetti case, noting that all major medical associations support gender-affirming care as evidence-based and a life-saving medical treatment.

The advocacy group has launched a campaign around data privacy and its impact on vulnerable communities.

The nonprofit Out Nebraska is marking Pride month with a series of parades, marches and other events across the state in June.

The group is also using the occasion to rebrand itself and reach deeper into communities.

Out Nebraska Communications Manager Owen Rush said Pride Month is a good opportunity to not only celebrate LGBTQ issues, but connect community members with useful resources.

"When we are at the Pride events, we are definitely connecting people with resources," said Rush. "We worked on a couple of different magazines on, like how to change your name, you know, information about pronouns, providing the community with more information about the LGBTQ community and also resources in Nebraska letting people know what they can do and how to make those voices heard."

Out Nebraska also helps educate LGBTQ people about health care and legal needs and lists supportive members of the business community.

Out Nebraska is also using Pride Month as an opportunity to rebrand itself. Rush said the group is stressing resiliency, especially with the emblem on its flag.

"Our new logo is very bold and the colors are also striking," said Rush. "The 'E' looks like a waving flag to let us know that we're here, we're stronger than ever and we're not going anywhere, and that there are regular, corn-fed Nebraskans who are queer in Nebraska."

Rush said Out Nebraska also encourages people to connect with local, state and national lawmakers to advocate for LGBTQ issues.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday released an opinion that allows Tennessee to keep in place a ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

While seen as a setback for trans youth, a legal challenge in North Dakota is still active. The North Dakota case, which seeks to overturn a 2023 ban adopted by the Legislature, is moving through the state-level courts.

Brittany Stewart, senior staff attorney with the legal nonprofit Gender Justice, said proceedings in the bench trial are winding down. She said parents of transgender youth in this region might think the Supreme Court outcome permanently cuts off similar cases, but stresses they shouldn't jump to conclusions.

"I would like to tell people, especially folks who are parents of kids who might be suffering from gender dysphoria, not to give up hope," she stressed. "This is just one case, on one specific issue."

The Tennessee case focused solely on the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause, and Stewart said the North Dakota case has other legal aspects to it. Republicans behind such bans argue they're trying to protect children, noting young people aren't mature enough for these decisions. But ban opponents say parents and doctors are deeply involved in discussing the lengthy process, and that gender-affirming surgery is rare for minors.

Stewart said the second main argument in her plaintiff's case is whether North Dakota's ban violates the right to personal autonomy. She added it's important to remember that the questions posed in this lawsuit have to do with the state constitution.

"The North Dakota Supreme Court has also said that the North Dakota Constitution isn't necessarily interpreted exactly the same as the U.S. Constitution," she continued.

She said if the judge rules in their favor, it's likely the state would appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court. But there are questions about whether it would reach the U.S. Supreme Court because of the legal differences.

Analysts say the federal decision is still a big win for ban supporters in the nearly two dozen states that have them. But Stewart said the high court left an opening for future consideration if opponents can effectively prove such laws cause harm.


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