The Pentagon is planning to announce on July 1 its plans to allow openly transgender people to serve in the armed forces, according to multiple reports.
Officials are likely to meet as early as Monday to finalize the details. Defense Secretary Ash Carter would have to give final approval before the planned July 1 announcement.
Carter, who established a working group last July to measure the impact of allowing transgender people to serve openly. The ban would remain only if it could be shown that there would be an “adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness.” The Pentagon cites medical reasons when dismissing self-identified transgender troops from service.
Each branch of the U.S. military would be required to implement new recruiting, housing and uniform policies to accommodate transgender individuals. Among the 1.3 million service members, about 2,500 are transgender, a report commissioned by the Pentagon estimated. Of those, only 65 seek sex-change medical treatment each year.
In June 2015, the American Medical Association approved a resolution saying there is “no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the U.S. military.”
“Our transgender service members and their families are breathing a huge sigh of relief,” said Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association.
“Soon, anyone who is qualified will finally be able to serve our great nation, regardless of their gender identity. We are eagerly anticipating the details of this historic announcement, and we are incredibly grateful for the leadership Secretary Carter has shown in getting us to this critically important point for our military families.”
