Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
At long last, the military is taking steps to end its policy of not allowing transgender Americans to serve in the military. Unlike the former ban on gay service members, transgender service is not statutorily prohibited but instead barred by internal medical regulations. That means the military can make the change without congressional approval. Eliza Gray
reports on Monday's
statement from Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, in which he said the current regulations were "causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions."
“We have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines — real, patriotic Americans — who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that’s contrary to our value of service and individual merit,” he said.
Carter said the Pentagon will create a working group over the next six months to study “the policy and readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly,” to be led by Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Brad Carson.
What's really heartening about this working group effort is that Sec. Carter said it would "start with the presumption that transgender persons can serve openly without adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness."
That demonstrates a distinct evolution within military culture regarding LGBT individuals. For the 17 years that "don't ask, don't tell" existed, the argument in its favor was always the presumption that allowing lesbians and gays to serve openly would hurt military readiness and battle effectiveness. In the statement, Carter acknowledges that many transgender Americans are already "serving in silence" alongside their fellow service members. In fact, an estimated 15,500 transgender individuals currently serve in the military, according to the Williams Institute.
A successful effort by the military to end transgender separations and formalize policies around transgender inclusion will also give an incredible boost to nationwide efforts to pass nondiscrimination policies that protect transgender individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, and more.