LGBT groups have welcomed the decision by a federal judge to block the Donald Trump administration's attempts to stop the US military from allowing transgender people to enlist.

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The organisations the National Centre for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) as well as Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAAD) had brought lawsuits against Trump's attempts to stop transgender people from serving.

It followed the US president's tweet in July that "after consultation with my generals and military experts" transgender people would not be allowed to serve in the military.

But this was rejected on Monday (11 December) by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly when she wrote that the US District Court for the District of Columbia was "not persuaded" that defendants would be "irreparably injured" by transgender people joining the military.

NCLR legal director Shannon Minter said it showed that the claims by the Trump administration were simply "not credible".

"The military has studied this issue extensively and determined that permitting qualified transgender people to enlist and serve will only strengthen our nation's armed forces. This administration's claim that allowing transgender people to enlist will lessen military preparedness is contradicted by the military's own conclusions," she said.

Meanwhile GLAAD transgender rights project director Jennifer Levi applauded the court decision

"High ranking military leaders who oversaw training when the military made the first changes to transgender service policies have said the military is ready to accept transgender enlistees.

"This administration needs to stop creating fake problems and get on with it."

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD said: "Today's legal victory is the latest step towards preventing Trump's bigoted trans military ban from ever going into full effect. The Trump administration is struggling to provide any evidence that open trans enlistment be must be delayed because none exists beyond their own hate-fuelled anti-LGBTQ agenda."

Donald Trump