Senate

Duckworth calls Supreme Court decision on transgender military ban ‘disheartening’

by Michael Burke - 01/22/19 10:38 PM ET

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Tuesday criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump administration to temporarily enforce restrictions on transgender people serving in the military.

Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, in a series of tweets called the decision “disheartening” and urged the court to make clear “that this sort of discrimination has no place in our military.”

“Today’s decision is disheartening not only because it will help the Trump Administration discriminate against an ever-shrinking portion of our population who are willing to serve in uniform, but also because it enables the Administration to further disrupt to our military and weaken our national security,” Duckworth tweeted.

“I hope the Court takes up this case and loudly and clearly tells the Administration that this sort of discrimination has no place in our military, and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress will send the same message and show our servicemembers that we have their backs,” she continued.

Today’s decision is disheartening not only because it will help the Trump Administration discriminate against an ever-shrinking portion of our population who are willing to serve in uniform,

— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) January 22, 2019

“When I was bleeding to death in my Black Hawk helicopter on that dusty field in Iraq, I didn’t care if the American troops risking their lives to help save me were gay, straight, transgender, black, white, male or female,” Duckworth also wrote. “All that mattered was they didn’t leave me behind.”

The court on Tuesday ruled 5 to 4 to lift two injunctions blocking the Trump administration policy that prevents most transgender people from serving in the military.

Duckworth has previously criticized the policy, calling it “sickening” in 2017.

“To have a president who never served but himself got, what, four, five deferments to avoid service in Vietnam be a guide to question someone else’s patriotism because of their gender identity is sickening,” she said at the time.

Tags Tammy Duckworth