Washington (CNN) The Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump's transgender military ban to go into effect on Tuesday, dealing a blow to LGBT activists who call the ban cruel and irrational. In a statement released after the Supreme Court action, the Pentagon sought to clarify that its policy is not a ban on all transgender persons from the military. "As always, we treat all transgender persons with respect and dignity. (The Department of Defense's) proposed policy is NOT a ban on service by transgender persons. The Pentagon was forced to allow transgender applicants to join the military on January 1, 2018, after a federal court ruling.

Source: CNN January 22, 2019 14:47 UTC