Humanists Denounce SCOTUS Decision to Allow Trans Military Ban

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Sarah Henry, (202) 238-9088, shenry@americanhumanist.org

(Washington D.C., January 22, 2019) – Leaders at the American Humanist Association (AHA) expressed their disappointment in today’s Supreme Court decision allowing the enforcement of the Trump administration’s ban on transgender military service members. “In America, everyone is entitled to fair treatment in the workplace, including the thousands of service members who identify as transgender,” says American Humanist Association Executive Director Roy Speckhardt. “This decision is a slap in the face to those bravely serving our country, their families, and anyone who values equal protection under the law as the US Constitution is supposed to guarantee.”

While the Court majority will allow the ban to go forward as lower courts address the case, Justices Ginsberg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan dissented.

“Today’s ruling is another example of bigotry and Christian nationalism overriding legal protections for all Americans,” says Tris Mamone, advisory board member of the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance. “The Trump administration has never been a friend to the LGBTQ community, and this policy is another example of that hostility. We at the American Humanist Association stand in solidarity with those, regardless of gender identity, who serve our country in the armed forces.”

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The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.