Sacramento LGBT Community Center Responds to Supreme Court Decision Allowing Transgender Military Ban
Sacramento, CA — Today’s Supreme Court decision allowing a ban on transgender military service to proceed is a devastating step backward. The Sacramento LGBT Community Center condemns this discriminatory policy and reaffirms our commitment to standing with and supporting our transgender community members.
This decision reinstates a dangerous and dehumanizing policy that blocks transgender individuals from serving openly in the U.S. military—falsely implying that being transgender is incompatible with honorable service. Let us be clear: there is nothing dishonorable about being transgender. Transgender Americans have long served this country with integrity, courage, and dedication. To deny them this right is not only unjust—it is a direct attack on their dignity and humanity.
“Few acts are more patriotic than the willingness to risk one’s life for their country. That so many transgender people are prepared to do so—only to be excluded—is not just wrong, it’s deeply heartbreaking,” said David Heitstuman, CEO of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. “According to a study by the NIH, transgender people are more than twice as likely to have served in the military than their cisgender counterparts. This ban takes away an avenue for transgender people to find a sense of community and a pathway to financial stability.”
This decision comes amid a rising wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric, including bans on inclusive curricula, attacks on LGBTQ+ literature, and efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming care, such as the Skrmetti case now before the Court. These attacks are coordinated, calculated, and intended to erase transgender people from public life. The Center stands firmly against them all.
The Sacramento LGBT Community Center provides a range of gender-affirming services, referrals, and support programs to meet the needs of transgender and gender-diverse people in the region.
To every transgender person feeling the weight of this moment: we see you, we honor you, and we stand with you. Your identity is a strength. Your life is not up for debate, it is worthy of protection, celebration, and love.
We invite all transgender individuals, allies, and supporters to march with us at Sacramento Pride. Join us in taking up space, being visible, and showing the world that our community is strong, united, and unstoppable. You belong here—with us.
