Oregon in the Forefront of Legal Battles to Protect Transgender Rights

Oregon is at the forefront of judicial battles against the Trump administration on two legal fronts – withholding funds for transgender-affirming care and banning transgender people from military service.

14-Day Temporary Restraining Order Granted by U.S. District Judge

Earlier this week, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield applauded the ruling by a U.S. District Judge blocking the Trump administration from withholding funding from gender-affirming care medical institutions.

Imposing the temporary 14-day restraining order, Judge Lauren King described the federal government move as blatant discrimination against trans youth that was unlikely to ‘survive constitutional scrutiny.’

A Major Victory Against Trump’s Relentless Attacks

Rayfield said the ruling was a victory ‘against Trump’s relentless attacks on transgender rights.’

The restraining order applies nationwide and is a victory for Oregon’s Attorney General who, together with the AGs from Minnesota and Washington, as well as three doctors, filed the suit against Trump’s decision, arguing that the order violates the Fifth Amendment that guarantees equal protection of trans patients.

Oregon AG Files Brief Against Ban on Military Service for Transgender People

On Friday, Rayfield filed a ‘friend of the court’ brief as part of a 20-AG coalition supporting a lawsuit aimed to block Trump’s executive order that bans transgender people from military service, including the National Guard.

The brief supports a preliminary injunction filed by transgender service members, both current and prospective. Their lawsuit will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday (18 February).

This brief, too, argues that the order is unconstitutional, harming national security and discriminating against transgender people.

The coalition argues that banning transgender people from military service will harm emergency and disaster preparedness and deprive the military of recruits. The ban would also violate the 5^th Amendment protection of transgender rights.

Rayfield says that Oregonians believe in fairness, respect, and inclusion of all people, regardless of gender identity.

150 Military Servicemembers Identified as Transgenders in 2014

In 2014, a study of transgender people serving in the military found that 150,000 active duty servicemembers, members of the National Guard, and veterans identified as transgender.

Oregon’s brief is joined by California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.