The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) condemns President Trump’s ban on military service by transgender people that will take effect April 12, 2019. The policy will exclude qualified service members for the sole reason that they are transgender. It is plainly discriminatory and unlawful. Its only effect will be to undermine our nation’s military readiness and harm the dedicated transgender individuals who have been serving our country with honor and those who seek to serve in the future, as well as their families. We stand with the plaintiffs and organizations challenging the ban in court, and we are confident that the legal challenges to the ban will ultimately prevail.

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The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is a nonprofit voluntary membership organization of attorneys, law students, and legal professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1872, BASF enjoys the support of more than 7,500 individuals, law firms, corporate legal departments, and law schools. Through its board of directors, its committees, and its volunteer legal services programs and other community efforts, BASF has worked actively to promote and achieve equal justice for all and oppose discrimination in all its forms, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on race, sex, disability, and sexual orientation. BASF provides a collective voice for public advocacy, advances professional growth and education, and attempts to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, and respect in the practice of law