Pentagon Ends Ban of Transgender Troops in the Military

The Pentagon will let transgender individuals serve openly in the U.S. military, ending one of the last bans on service in the armed forces.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced the change Thursday. Carter says it’s the right thing to do. He says only a person’s qualifications should matter, and that there should be no other unrelated barriers to service.

Carter’s announcement comes despite concerns from senior military leaders that the department is moving too fast and that more time is needed to work through the changes.

The changes will be phased in over a year. But by October 1, transgender troops should be able to receive medical care and begin formally changing their gender identification in the Pentagon’s personnel system.

Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement in response to changes in the Pentagon’s policy on transgender service members.

Byrne said: “It is frustrating the Pentagon now has a strategy for transgender service members but they still lack an actual strategy for defeating radical Islamic terrorism. Once again it seems the Obama Administration is more interested in advancing a political agenda than they are in proposing sound policy. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am committed to holding the Obama Administration accountable and ensuring their political agenda does not directly harm our military readiness.”

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