Minnesota National Guard members receive email instructing those with gender dysphoria to voluntarily separate

# Minnesota and Trump’s executive order banning trans people from military service

> Members of Minnesota’s National Guard received an email Thursday explaining how to initiate voluntary separation from the army if they have a “current diagnosis, history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria.”

> The email refers to President Donald Trump’s executive order that said gender dysphoria is inconsistent with “the rigorous standards necessary for military service.” The sender did not respond to a request for comment.

> “Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life,” the Jan. 27 executive order states.

# Federal judge ruling on the case

> A federal judge said Wednesday she hopes to rule next week on whether to block the Trump administration from banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military.

> U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said Wednesday it is her “strong hope” that she will issue a decision next Tuesday or Wednesday. Reyes acknowledged that her ruling probably won’t be the “last stop in this train’s journey,” given the near-certainty of an appeal.

> Reyes frequently sounded skeptical of the administration’s motives and rationale as she challenged Justice Department attorney Jason Manion to defend the order and policy. She called it a “Don’t Tell” policy, a reference to the military’s outdated “ Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ” policy against LGBTQ service members.

> “They have to essentially be in hiding while in service,” Reyes said of transgender troops.

> The judge said **the Defense Department has spent roughly $5.2 million annually over the past decade to provide medical care to treat gender dysphoria** — a miniscule percentage of the military’s multi-billion dollar budget. As a point of comparison, Reyes noted that the military spends around $42 million per year on medication treating erectile dysfunction.

!ping LGBT

Tim Walz is Commander in Chief of the Minnesota NG. This is an opportunity for Dem governors to push back.