TRUMP LAUNCHES ALL OUT ASSAULT ON SERVICE MEMBERS; HRC AND ADVOCATES FIGHT BACK -- #ProtectTransTroops: President Donald Trump has made the dangeorus and unpatriotic move to reinstate a ban on qualified transgender people serving in the military. His reprehensible action, announced yesterday in a series of tweets, could result in the discharge of more than 15,000 transgender Americans currently serving our country at this critical time. The move, a blatant political maneuver to appeal to the most radical in Trump's base, will undermine military morale and readiness. More from HRC, Military.com, Fortune, Glamour, Roll Call, NPR, Time, Politico, U.S. News & World Report, Reuters and The Washington Post.

• HRC joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA), NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling, and members of the LGBT Equality Caucus to condemn Trump’s actions. Watch a video of the Capitol Hill press conference here. More from The Washington Blade.

• HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) issues a call to action to resist Trump’s discriminatory agenda, saying “Today Donald Trump has proven himself as unpatriotic as he is unfit to serve as Commander in Chief. He has put a target on the backs of the more than 15,000 transgender troops proudly serving in our military. This heinous and disgusting action endangers the lives of American service members, undermines military readiness and makes our country less safe. It is also the latest effort by Trump and Mike Pence to undo our progress and drag LGBTQ people back into the closet by using our lives as political pawns.”

• HRC National Press Secretary Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) appeared on CNN to discuss Trump’s despicable action.

.@SarahEMcBride on @CNN: "Trans service members bravely serve this country, something I’ll remind Trump he failed to do after 5 deferments." pic.twitter.com/fX9AnI7qr6

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) July 26, 2017

• Former Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning, the first openly gay man to lead a military service, took over HRC’s Twitter account to speak out against Trump’s reckless decision. Read here.
• On both sides of the aisle, Members of Congress are taking a stand to remind Trump that his decision is dangerous and unpatriotic -- and that they will fight back. See a roundup of responses here.

Americans who are willing & able should be allowed to serve U.S. regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity

— Rep. Charlie Dent (@RepCharlieDent) July 26, 2017​

• Military Leaders Speak Out: Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, former U.S. Army Secretary Eric Fanning, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain (R-AZ) and retired Rear Admiral  John Kirby and retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling.
• Major Corporate Leaders Speak Out: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith, Ben & Jerry’s, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg have spoken out.
• Morning Must Reads: Military Times, “Transgender airman: ‘I would like to see them try to kick me out of my military’”; TIME, “Why the Transgender Troop Ban May Backfire Politically”, Broadly, “'I Served. Trump Never Did’: Trans Veterans Respond to The President's Ban”; The Atlantic, “The Cost of Banning Transgender Service Members”; Newsweek, “Transgender Military Ban: The Rise of Anti-LGBT Hate Groups in Trump’s White House”; The Washington Post, “Trump said transgender troops cause ‘disruption.’ These 18 militaries show otherwise.”; Jennifer Finney Boylan for The New York Times, “Trump’s Contempt for Transgender Heroes”; Andrew Rosenthal for The Washington Post, “Trump Punishes Transgender Patriots”; Steven Petrow for The Washington Post, “Trump’s military transgender ban? It’s an attack on the whole LGBT community.”; The New York Times, “How U.S. Military Policy on Transgender Personnel Changed Under Obama”; The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board, “Trump's transgender tweet wasn't just the usual morning rant; it's dangerously bad policy”
• What can you do to help? Join the more than 20,000 HRC members and supporters who texted ‘Our Troops’ to 30644 to call the White House and join HRC in demanding that President Trump reverse this dangerous action. More ideas from Romper.

.@realDonaldTrump’s assault on trans service members stands against our nation’s core values. Text “OUR TROOPS” to 30644 #ProtectTransTroops pic.twitter.com/Xuku0ke7em

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) July 26, 2017

THROWBACK THURSDAY: On July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman signed an executive order to desegregate the military. On July 26, 2017, President Donald Trump tweeted to reinstate a ban on qualified transgender people serving in the military. History’s eyes are on you, Trump.

.@realDonaldTrump has no sense of history, no sense of patriotism, and no sense of dignity. https://t.co/QOkm8RhNPS

— Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) July 26, 2017

ROUNDING OUT ITS DAY OF BIGOTRY -- TRUMP-PENCE ADMINISTRATION ASSERTS CIVIL RIGHTS LAW WON'T APPLY TO LGBTQ PEOPLE: Trump had his Department of Justice file an amicus brief late yesterady directly opposing decades of legal interpretation from federal courts, arguing that Title VII does not protect lesbian, gay, or bisexual people on the basis of sex. "Attacks against the LGBTQ community at all levels of the government continue to pour in from the Trump-Pence administration," said Sarah Warbelow, HRC Legal Director. "In one fell swoop, Trump's DOJ has provided a roadmap for dismantling years of federal protections and declared that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people may no longer be protected by landmark civil rights laws such as the Fair Housing Act, Title IX, or Title VII. For over a decade, courts have determined that discrimination on the basis of LGBTQ status is unlawful discrimination under federal law. Today's filing is a shameful retrenchment of an outmoded interpretation that forfeits faithful interpretation of current law to achieve a politically-driven and legially specious result." More from HRC and The Washington Blade.

AND IN ALABAMA, DISGRACED JUDGE ROY MOORE STANDS BY TRUMP’S BIGOTRY: Yesterday, Moore commended Trump’s heinous actions to bolster his Senate run, saying “As U.S. Senator, I will not stand by while the left uses the military for social experimentation.” HRC Alabama State Director Eva Kendrick responded: "Once again, Roy Moore is attacking the LGBTQ people, but this time, he's going after Americans who simply want to serve their country. History has already put Roy Moore on the side of those who support bigotry over acceptance and true American values. This is just another example.” More from AL.com.

READING RAINBOW

Advocate shares 18 talk show moments that made LGBTQ history; Reuters interviews Karun "Priewpak" Kaemla, a Thai transgender boxer fighting for equality; NPR breaks down the fight for equality in South Korea;

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