US judge asks military to accept transgender by Jan 1

NEW YORK: Transgender recruits will be able to join the US military as of January 1 after a federal judge on Monday denied a request by President Donald Trump's administration to enforce his ban on transgender troops while the government appeals an order blocking it.

In a ruling, with which the Pentagon said it would comply, US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington refused to lift part of her Oct 30 order stopping the ban from taking effect until the case is resolved, saying it likely violated the US Constitution´s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law. The White House said the Justice Department was reviewing its options. The Pentagon said in a statement that it would follow court orders and begin processing transgender applicants on January 1.