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Last month, President Trump announced via Twitter that transgender Americans are barred from any capacity of military service. This declaration engendered strong reactions from many Americans. Some people supported the change, while others opposed it. However, the announcement outraged the LGBTQ community.

The Lawsuit

Reports from The Hill state that The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) sued President Trump earlier today. Their lawsuit stems from what they perceive as a breach of the 5th Amendment. The statement from the NCLR and GLAD are as follows:

"The categorical exclusion of transgender people from military service lacks a rational basis, is arbitrary, and cannot be justified by sufficient federal interests."

In addition to citing the Due Process Clause within the 5th Amendment, these two LGBTQ groups consist of five plaintiffs. Likewise, the NCLR and GLAD allege that transgender people were afflicted by the President's remarks. NCLR legal director Shannon Minter reports that transgender military service men and women are unsure of their future.

Costs of Transgender Military Ban

According to The Palm Center, the replacement of transgender military service members amounts to $960 million, as stated by The Hill. This includes the enlistment and teaching of new recruits. Where will the funds come from? Furthermore, the cost of replacing transgender military service members is not worth it. There are much more productive uses for $960 million, such as building the wall along the Southern border to curtail illegal immigration.

As Palm Center director Aaron Belkin stated:

"American taxpayers should ask the President, who is proud of his business savvy, why he’s spending a dollar to buy a dime."

The Pointlessness of the Lawsuit

Despite the plethora of flaws associated with banning transgenders from the military, a lawsuit is pointless. For starters, the possibility of the President's ban coming to fruition is considerably low. The military does not support the halt of transgender service.

As written by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford:

"There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President's direction has been received by the secretary of defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidance."

Perhaps the NCLR and GLAD should wait for the transgender military ban to actually occur before filing a lawsuit. However, many of the President's critics have repeatedly filed lawsuit after lawsuit against him, but to no avail. Instead of suing President Trump, perhaps these LGBTQ groups should meet with him and try to come to an understanding. However, this is very unlikely to happen.