The U.S. Air Force is facing a lawsuit over claims it refused to release documents related to its transgender program.
Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed a lawsuit against the Air Force over its Freedom of Information Act request into the military department’s Transgender Health Medical Evaluation Unit (THEMU), the Daily Caller News Foundation reported. The Air Force allegedly failed to properly process the request, prompting a lawsuit to be filed with a district court in Washington, D.C., aimed at obtaining the records.
“CASA seeks communications between THEMU officials regarding the creation and implementation of the unit. We have been patient, but to date, CASA has received no responsive records and no additional communication from the Air Force regarding our request after the initial confirmation of submission,” James Fitzpatrick, director of CASA, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“After over 280 days of waiting, we bring this suit to compel the production of these critical records to the American people,” he said.
The Air Force told The Dallas Express it does not comment on pending litigation.
CASA requested internal communications and meeting records regarding the launch of THEMU, which uses taxpayer money to fund transgender procedures for military members. Other requested records include any coordination with corporations regarding the program.
Another aspect of the request asks for communication between the Air Force and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), one of the leading advocacy groups for transgender procedures. The Cass Review, written by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass, was published last month — it detailed research conducted by WPATH, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“[WPATH] has been highly influential in directing international practice, although its guidelines were found by the University of York’s appraisal to lack developmental rigour and transparency,” she wrote.
The Air Force allegedly acknowledged the CASA request on THEMU in August 2023 and said it would “strive to provide an update between 90 and 120 days.” CASA said the department failed to fulfill this promise and felt a lawsuit was needed to obtain the records.
“Indeed, to date CASA has received neither a further response nor any other communication from USAF (U.S. Air Force) regarding the request,” the lawsuit reads, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Given these facts, it appears that USAF has not met its statutory obligations to provide the requested records, nor intends to meet them absent litigation.”
The federal government under the Biden administration has taken several initiatives to expand protections and available procedures for transgender people, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. The administration is attempting to expand Title IX protections to cover “gender identity,” which would allow transgender people to enter the private spaces of their biological sex. Texas Att. Gen. Ken Paxton has sued to stop the changes.
