Transgender military personnel in limbo over Trump plan

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers and activists battling to ensure that transgender people can serve openly in the U.S. are braced for anguishing consequences if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan to sharply restrict such service.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week gave the administration the green light to put the policy into effect even as legal challenges continue.

In the long term, advocates for transgender people believe they will prevail.

Activists see parallels between the battle and the 17-year saga involving the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibited gay men and women from serving openly in the armed forces. After prolonged controversy and litigation, Congress repealed the Clinton-era policy in 2010.