Legal Showdown Looms over Transgender Troop Ban

Transgender rights groups are poised to challenge President Trump's executive order barring transgender individuals from military service. The order, seen as a key part of Trump's conservative agenda, faces a legal battle led by GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, citing constitutional violations.

Transgender rights advocacy groups are gearing up to launch a lawsuit as soon as Tuesday against U.S. President Donald Trump's recent executive order targeting transgender service members. This move represents the first legal challenge to a significant aspect of Trump's conservative Pentagon policies.

The executive order, signed by Trump on Monday, includes a controversial statement indicating that a man identifying as a woman does not embody the military's values of humility and selflessness. According to a source, GLAD Law and the National Center For Lesbian Rights (NCLR) plan to argue in court that the order breaches constitutional equality guarantees.

Trump's directives specify that declaring a gender identity different from one's birth sex fails to meet the military's standards. Although the order restricts the use of 'invented' pronouns within the armed forces, it leaves unresolved questions about the status of currently serving transgender soldiers and the potential process for their removal.

(With inputs from agencies.)