{"id":56290,"date":"2017-09-15T16:00:30","date_gmt":"2017-09-15T20:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/senate-blocks-vote-on-bipartisan-amendment-to-protect-the-rights-of-transgender-service-members\/"},"modified":"2017-09-15T16:00:30","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T20:00:30","slug":"senate-blocks-vote-on-bipartisan-amendment-to-protect-the-rights-of-transgender-service-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/senate-blocks-vote-on-bipartisan-amendment-to-protect-the-rights-of-transgender-service-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate blocks vote on bipartisan amendment to protect the rights of transgender service members"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senate blocks vote on bipartisan amendment to protect the rights of transgender service members<\/b><\/p>\n

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NEW YORK \u2013\u00a0<\/strong> GLAAD, the world\u2019s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today criticized the United States Senate for blocking<\/a> the Gillibrand-Collins Amendment, that would have protected transgender service members from President Donald Trump\u2019s discriminatory transgender military ban. This amendment received bipartisan support, however, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has refused to bring it up for a vote during floor debate for the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act.<\/p>\n

Introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), this amendment would have prevented the Department of Defense from removing or blocking the enrollment of qualified service members solely on their gender identity. McConnell\u2019s choice to block a vote goes against recent polling showing a majority of Americans<\/a> in all fifty states oppose the president\u2019s discriminatory ban on transgender soldiers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSenator McConnell and Republican Senate leadership chose anti-LGBTQ animus ahead of the clear will of the American people,\u201d said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD<\/strong>. \u201cTransgender service members are expertly trained, well-qualified and deeply committed to protecting our country and the Senators who refused to speak out are not only directly attacking them, but our armed forces as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since President Trump\u2019s initial tweets announcing his intent to break from the open service policy set in place after acomprehensive study<\/a> including Armed Service leadership, medical experts, and advocacy groups, the Trump White House has been unable to provide<\/a> any clear justification to this discriminatory policy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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September 15, 2017<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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