Nicholas Talbot is one of the transgender individuals who sued in federal court for his right to enlist in the military.
This whole process with the courts has been a roller coaster. We are doing well, but we are not out of the woods yet. I'm trying to stay wary, and I'm definitely nervous that we might hit another setback.
--Talbot
Nicholas has been represented in court by Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
The clock is ticking, and every second we get closer to January 1, individuals like Nicolas whose lifelong dream is to serve our country are getting closer to realizing that dream.
--Minter
The court said the government had not shown "that any training or medical demands associated with the accession of transgender troops -- all of whom must be medically stable for 18 months before entry (absent a waiver) -- are different in kind or degree from the demands associated with the retention of existing troops."
In balancing the equities, it must be remembered that all plaintiffs seek during this litigation is to serve their nation with honor and dignity, volunteering to face extreme hardships, to endure lengthy deployments and separation from family and friends, and to willingly make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives if necessary to protect the nation, the people of the United States, and the Constitution against all who would attack them.
--Appeals Court ruling
On Friday a DOJ spokesman released the following statement:
The Department of Defense has announced that it will be releasing an independent study of these issues in the coming weeks. So rather than litigate this interim appeal before that occurs, the administration has decided to wait for DOD's study and will continue to defend the President's and Secretary of Defense's lawful authority in district court in the meantime.
Nicholas said that he plans to call the military recruiter he has been in touch with on Tuesday to schedule an appointment with the Military Entrance Processing Station to begin his evaluation.
Logan Downs is also planning to march through the door on Tuesday to begin his enlistment process. The Air Force recruiting office will be closed on New Years Day, ao Tuesday is the earliest he can join.
Future court rulings could potentially eject those transgender people who do decide to enlist at the start of next year, but Downs can’t afford to linger on that possibility.
I have to have hope and faith that it won’t happen because, at least in my life, positivity has done wonderful things for me. So I just stay positive. The decision is not mine so I can’t lose sleep over it.
--Downs
We won’t be seeing a big influx of trans people on January 1st.
--Blake Dremann, SPART*A
The strict nature of the guidelines should put to rest any notion that transgender recruits are signing up for “free surgeries.”
The requirements and responsibilities that come with the health care are stringent. If someone wants trans-affirming health care, it’s much easier to join a company like Walgreens than it is to join the military.
--Bryan Fram, SPART*A
Downs, who currently works at a grocery store in Oregon, has gladly jumped through all of the required hoops, making several rounds of phone calls to get all of the relevant medical paperwork sent from Florida to his local recruiting office.