evidence: Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, today led a bipartisan group of 50 Senators in a letter to Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis opposing the Trump Administration’s ban on transgender service members and decrying the Secretary’s implementation recommendations for the ban. The Senators’ letter follows statements by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and commandant of the Marine Corps asserting that open transgender service has had no negative effect on unit cohesion, discipline, or morale. The statements were made in response to Senator Gillibrand’s questions at four recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearings. [...] "Today’s letter reflects the overwhelming bipartisan opposition among both members of Congress and the American public to this president’s dangerous and unconstitutional ban on transgender troops," said Human Rights Campaign Government Affairs Director David Stacy. "The implementation guidance issued by the Trump-Pence administration was fundamentally flawed and misleading in its assessments and conclusion. Since the President’s first reckless and impulsive tweets on this matter, military leadership, medical experts and federal courts have all affirmed the fact that there is simply no reason to bar qualified transgender people from serving their country. The Human Rights Campaign is grateful to Senator Gillibrand for her ongoing leadership on this critical issue — and we thank all members of Congress from both parties who continue to speak out in support of our brave service members."