They often had to serve in silence....
July 14, 2015 10:41 AM Subscribe
Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced a six month working group which will "study the policy and readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly in the military, and its work will presume they can do so unless objective and practical impediments are identified." The ban, which has been in place since the 1970s, has been a topic of discussion in the Obama administration much more in the past few weeks, as "secretaries of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines had all previously escalated the level of commander who could discharge transgender troops to a Pentagon-level official in recent months."
However, there still remains much work to be done, especially for transgender veterans. Just a few weeks ago, Air Force veteran Jess Shipps took her own life; Shipps had left the Air Force several years ago in order to transition, and worked with SPART*A, an advocacy group for LGTB military members and veterans.
Former Surgeon General Faults Military's Transgender Ban: The ban on transgender service has long been a policy in search of a rationale," said Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who served as US Surgeon General from 1993 until 1994. "We looked hard for any type of sound rationale and found none. Reforming the policy is really a simple matter of updating references to outdated medical science and removing unnecessary barriers to enlistment and retention." Dr. Elders and former Coast Guard Director of Health and Safety Alan Steinman co-chair the commission, which is sponsored by the Palm Center.
However, there still remains much work to be done, especially for transgender veterans. Just a few weeks ago, Air Force veteran Jess Shipps took her own life; Shipps had left the Air Force several years ago in order to transition, and worked with SPART*A, an advocacy group for LGTB military members and veterans.
Former Surgeon General Faults Military's Transgender Ban: The ban on transgender service has long been a policy in search of a rationale," said Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who served as US Surgeon General from 1993 until 1994. "We looked hard for any type of sound rationale and found none. Reforming the policy is really a simple matter of updating references to outdated medical science and removing unnecessary barriers to enlistment and retention." Dr. Elders and former Coast Guard Director of Health and Safety Alan Steinman co-chair the commission, which is sponsored by the Palm Center.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Better to put these links in the post on this from yesterday. -- LobsterMitten
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