Following the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage rights, the Department of Defense plans to repeal the ban on transgender military members, according to USA Today.
The Pentagon will reportedly announce this decision on July 1, following approval by officials from Department of Defense, including Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work and Defense Secretary Ash Carter. You can probably expect the new rule to pass easily through the Department of Defense, though, since Carter stated last year that the ban would be lifted unless the change proved likely to have an “adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness.”
The plan involves each branch of the military integrating new policies within the next year, which will affect things like adequate recruitment, housing and uniforms for transgender troops. This could cost $2.9 to $4.2 million every year, out of the Pentagon’s $610 billion budget. While the RAND Corporation found that there are only 2,450 transgender men and women serving in the military, one UCLA study made an estimate that there are over 15,000. Under the current ban, the military has the right to disqualify troops due to medical reasons, so transgender service members must keep their gender identities a secret.
Not everyone is happy with the push to allow transgender people to openly enter the military. Chairman of the Armed Services Committee Mac Thornberry (R-TX) wrote in a statement, “If reports are correct, I believe Secretary Carter has put the political agenda of a departing administration ahead of the military’s readiness crisis.” According to USA Today, he also asked last July about the costs of the hormonal and behavioral treatments necessary for transgender service members, and whether that would affect the individual readiness of the military.
Transgender rights are changing and expanding every day. Just last week, Eric K. Fanning took over officially as Army secretary, becoming the first openly gay military leader in the U.S., according to The New York Times. With the military embracing the gay and transgender community as a group, it is sure to help others open their minds to gender rights.