U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has announced that the Department of Defense, and all branches of the military, will repeal the current policy banning transgender service members from serving openly.
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Carter signaled the upcoming policy change last summer when he stressed that the ban on transgender members of the military was “outdated, confusing, inconsistent”.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said yesterday that within 90 days, the Pentagon would create a guidebook for commanders on rules regarding transgender service members.
The plan directs each branch of the armed services to implement new policies affecting recruiting, medical care, housing and uniforms for transgender troops.
Responding to the news, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said it is an historic day for the country and represents a significant step toward equality for transgender Americans. The removal of one of the last barriers to army service based on sex came ahead of the changing role of women and the inclusion of bisexuals and gay service members in the recent years.
He also looked at policies in countries like the UK, Israel and Australia, which already allow transgender members to serve openly.
By Oct. 1, the Pentagon will create training handbook, medical protocol, and “guidance for changing a service member’s gender in the Defense Eligibility Enrollment System (DEERS)”, Carter’s announcement said.
Carter said the decision was “a matter of principle”.
– By July 1, 2017, the military services will begin allowing transgender individuals to enlist, as long as they meet required standards and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months.
The ban’s end is effective immediately, Carter said.
Thursday’s announcement had been under consideration for nearly a year. “We had to take into account the unique nature of military readiness”.
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“We have to have access to 100 percent of America’s population for our all-volunteer forces to be able to recruit from among them the most highly qualified-and to retain them”, he said.
