WASHINGTON – Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01), who authored the Equality Act to prohibit discrimination against LGBT Americans, issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s ban on transgender Americans serving in the United States Armed Forces to stay in effect:

“This is wrong. If the promise of America means anything, it means that all of us are created equal. Any LGBT American who wants to serve our country in uniform should have the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, the five conservative justices on the Supreme Court don’t agree.”

“It is unacceptable for the rights of LGBT Americans to change dramatically just because our country changed presidents. Thousands of trans Americans have already served our country in uniform. We need to ensure that LGBT Americans can always enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else. That’s why I’ll be encouraging my Republican colleagues to join Democrats in passing the Equality Act and finally prohibiting discrimination against the LGBT community.”