The U.S. Navy granted a waiver allowing a transgender service member to serve "in their preferred gender" for the first time since the military enacted an anti-transgender ban, CNN.com reported.
"The acting Secretary of the Navy has approved a specific request for exemption related to military service by transgender persons and persons with gender dysphoria," Navy spokeswoman Lt. Brittany Stephens said.
The ban, which went into effect last year, blocks individuals who have been diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria from joining the military.
"The Navy's decision to approve a waiver to the Trump-Pence transgender military ban is an important victory for this Sailor, even if we suspect the administration may be nefariously planning to misuse it to undermine our lawsuit challenging the ban," said Modern Military Association of America (MMAA) Legal and Policy Director Peter Perkowski in a statement Windy City Times obtained.
"We will be watching closely to see if others are approved and how the Trump-Pence administration may attempt to weaponize the decision by falsely claiming the ban isn't a ban. MMAA is committed to ensuring the unconscionable Trump-Pence transgender military ban is overturned and any qualified transgender patriot is free to serve openly and authentically."
In a federal lawsuit, Karnoski v. Trump, MMAA and Lambda Legal are challenging the constitutionality of the ban.