Attorney General Becerra Joins Brief in Support of Transgender Individuals Serving in the Military

SACRAMENTO - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today joined the Massachusetts Attorney General and 13 states in filing a multistate amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in Doe v. Trump. The case challenges President Trump's efforts to ban transgender people from serving openly in the U.S. military.

“When someone demonstrates the courage, passion and ability to serve and protect our nation, the last thing we should do is place unnecessary barriers in their way,” said Attorney General Becerra. “California is joining efforts to push back on President Trump’s announcement that he intends to reverse policies that allow transgender individuals to serve openly in our military. The President’s reckless actions compromise national security by preventing the armed forces from recruiting and retaining the most qualified personnel. The suggestion that transgender individuals cannot effectively serve is offensive, disgraceful and discriminatory.”

The proposed policy change will have a direct impact on California, which is home to more than 130,000 active duty military personnel, in addition to more than 56,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves.

In July, President Trump announced via Twitter that he would reverse existing Department of Defense policies that allow transgender individuals to serve openly in the military. Following that announcement, Attorney General Becerra, along with 18 fellow attorneys general, sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to add language to the federal National Defense Authorization Act that would explicitly prohibit discrimination against transgender persons who currently serve in or wish to join the U.S. military.

The Attorney General also joined an amicus brief in support of transgender rights for veterans in the case Fulcher v. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, defending the right to health care coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs for medically necessary care, including sex reassignment surgery.

 A copy of the amicus brief is attached to the electronic version of this release here.