A group of more than 100 House lawmakers sent a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis asking him to abandon a new proposed policy that would ban many transgender people from serving in the military, according to a report.
The letter organized by Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., questioned Mattis’ conclusion that potential medical issues should exclude people diagnosed with gender dysphoria and charged the Pentagon with cherry-picking research data to back its decision, USA Today reported.
“There is a deep chasm between established medical research and the underlying analysis your Department used to justify this policy, and we call on you to reverse your recommendations,” Kennedy wrote in the letter, according to the report.
Kennedy’s Capitol Hill office did not immediately respond to a request for the letter and comment.
Rights groups and U.S. medical associations have made similar claims about Mattis’ proposed policy, which would bar anyone with the condition from enlisting and prohibit medical care for those newly diagnosed while serving.
The policy remains on hold after active-duty transgender service members filed four federal lawsuits against Mattis and President Trump, and each of the four district courts issued injunctions blocking any changes while the cases are heard.
Mattis turned over the 44-page policy review and proposed policy to Trump in February after the president tweeted last summer that transgender troops would no longer be allowed to serve in any capacity. The Mattis proposal would allow nearly 1,000 transgender troops who are serving openly to remain and continue receiving medical care.
CORRECTION: A previous version misstated Kennedy’s home state. He is from Massachusetts.
