PENTAGON MOVES TO ALLOW TRANSGENDER PEOPLE TO SERVE OPENLY IN THE MILITATY

Pentagon Moves to Allow Transgender People to Serve Openly in the Military

By MATTHEW ROSENBERG JULY 13, 2015
Photo


Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, left, last week. On Monday, he announced a plan to change rules he called "outdated." Credit Zach Gibson/The New York Times


The Pentagon is moving to allow transgender people to serve openly in the military by early next year and end an “outdated” regulation that harms the armed forces, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Monday.
Pentagon officials are to spend the coming months working out the administrative and legal changes needed to remove one of the final barriers to all Americans serving in the military.
If realized, the plan would end what is seen as one of the last discriminatory rules about who can enlist or be commissioned in the American military. It would also be a tacit recognition that thousands of transgender people are already in uniform.

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Mr. Carter acknowledged as much in a statement announcing the plan. “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have transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — real, patriotic Americans — who I know are being hurt by an outdated, confusing, inconsistent approach that’s contrary to our value of service and individual merit,” he said. “The Defense Department’s current regulations regarding transgender service members are outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions.”


Some estimates put the number of transgender people in the military at more than 15,000. Much like the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which applied to gay men, lesbians and bisexuals until it was lifted in 2011, the current rules have done little to keep transgender people out of the military.
Instead it has forced them into a precarious existence in the ranks: The lucky ones have superiors who are content to look the other way, but the less fortunate must keep their transgender status a secret, leaving themselves open to expulsion if their colleagues were to learn the truth.
Since taking over the Pentagon this year, Mr. Carter has signaled his unhappiness with the current policy, as have other senior civilian defense officials.
Mr. Carter said in his statement on Monday that he was creating a working group that would have six months to assess what impact ending the ban would have on the military. The group will also help come up with ways to train troops to ensure a smooth transition, a senior defense official said.
Despite the formation of the working group, Mr. Carter left little doubt that the decision had been all but formally made to lift the ban.
“At my direction, the working group will start with the presumption that transgender persons can serve openly without adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness, unless and except where objective, practical impediments are identified,” Mr. Carter said.
The working group is to be led by Brad Carson, the acting undersecretary of defense, who also is a longtime champion of transgender rights. The plan was first reported by The Associated Press.
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Recent Comments

There is a book called, "As God Made Him." It's about a boy who had a botched circumcision and the doctors invoked convinced the parents to...

NYHuguenot

1 day ago
I'm in contact with a number of active duty NCOs and veteran NCO. The active duty ones say they have no idea what their mission is anymore....

DR

1 day ago
It's almost funny to see how worked up people are getting about this.Trans people are already serving in the military:http://www.nytimes...

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The chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy and the commandant of the Marine Corps have been briefed on the plan and are not opposed to lifting the ban, a senior defense official said.
Although transgender people are still technically barred from the ranks, the goal is to keep any from being forced out of the military, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the plan with a reporter.


The timeline for lifting the ban over several months, allowing for reviews and changes to rules, is similar to the timeline the Pentagon followed after Congress in 2010 repealed the legislation that forced gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in the military to keep their sexual orientation secret. It was not until 2011 that the military put the change into practice and let gay, lesbian and bisexual troops serve openly. “We saw that a gradual approach is what worked,” the defense official said.
“I don’t think it’s been as hard as some people thought it would be” to allow gay men, lesbians and bisexuals to openly serve in the military, the official added, arguing that the gradual approach to lifting the ban eased the transition and led to the success with which it is viewed today.
News of the plan began spreading hours before Mr. Carter’s announcement, and advocacy groups that have pushed for the change were quick to praise the development.
“We are thrilled the Department of Defense will finally be taking the necessary steps to allow our transgender service members to serve openly and honestly,” said Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender military families. “We look forward in anticipation to the announcement this week and being able to review the process and implementation.”
A version of this article appears in print on July 14, 2015, on page A14 of the New York edition with the headline: Pentagon Moves to Allow Transgender People to Serve Openly in the Military