A group of 17 transgender members of the U.S. Air Force has launched a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, accusing officials of unlawfully stripping them of the early-retirement pensions and benefits they were due.
The federal complaint argues that the government’s decision is “unlawful and invalid”, saying the Air Force has torn up its own rulebook. Under existing guidance, retirement orders can only be reversed in very narrow circumstances, none of which, the filing notes, applies in these cases.
The challenge comes after the Air Force confirmed it would refuse early-retirement support to every transgender service member with 15 to 18 years of service. The move effectively forces them out of the military altogether, leaving them without the financial safety net they had spent years working towards.
In addition to revoking retirement benefits, the service moved in August to deny transgender members of the Air Force the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving.
There are just over 4,000 transgender people currently serving in the military, according to Defense Department data, though some activists put the figure at much higher.
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