(The Epoch Times)—A federal judge on March 26 denied the Trump administration’s motion to dissolve her order that prevents the Pentagon from blocking transgender people from enlisting in the military, which was scheduled to go into effect on Friday.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes filed a memorandum opinion and order on Wednesday denying the administration’s request to dissolve, or stay pending appeal, her March 18 preliminary injunction halting the new military policy.
The government filed an appeal after Reye’s Wednesday order.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” on Jan. 27 that says individuals “expressing a false gender identity” do not meet the standards for military service and that “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”
On March 18, Reyes ruled that Trump’s order likely violates the constitutional rights of transgender-identifying active-duty service members who challenged the order and could cause them irreparable harm. She agreed to stay the preliminary injunction until March 21 to give the administration enough time to appeal.
“Indeed, the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender service members have sacrificed—some risking their lives—to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes stated in a 79-page ruling.
During a March 21 hearing, Reyes requested that the Department of Defense delay its original March 26 deadline for instituting the policy.
The government filed a motion to dissolve the injunction on March 21 and argued that the policy is not an overarching ban on transgender-identifying people but rather “turns on gender dysphoria–a medical condition–and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class.”
The administration also asked that if the motion to dissolve is rejected, the court should stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal. It also cited new guidance issued on March 21 that clarified that “the phrase ‘exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria‘” only applies to “individuals who exhibit such symptoms as would be sufficient to constitute a diagnosis.’”
“Defendants re-emphasize their ‘consistent position that the [Pentagon] Policy is concerned with the military readiness, deployability, and costs associated with a medical condition,’” Reyes wrote.
“Regulating gender dysphoria is no different than regulating bipolar disorder, eating disorders, or suicidality. The Military Ban regulates a medical condition, they insist, not people. And therein lies the problem.
“Gender dysphoria is not like other medical conditions, something Defendants well know,” Reyes wrote. “It affects only one group of people: all persons with gender dysphoria are transgender, and only transgender persons experience gender dysphoria.”
Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.
Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
