US president Joe Biden repealed a ban on transgender people serving in the US military on Monday, reversing a previous order from former president Donald Trump.
“Today, I repealed the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military. It’s simple: America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride,” Biden said in a tweet on January 25.
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin III said the Pentagon would immediately take appropriate policy action to ensure individuals who identify as transgender are eligible to enter and serve in their self-identified gender.
These changes will ensure no one will be separated or discharged, or denied reenlistment, solely on the basis of gender identity. Prospective recruits may serve in their self-identified gender when they have met the appropriate standards for accession into the military services.
This revised policy will also ensure all medically-necessary transition related care authorized by law is available to all service members and will re-examine all cases of transgender service members that may be in some form of adverse administrative proceedings.
“Over the next 60 days, I look forward to working with the senior civilian and military leaders of the Department as we expeditiously develop the appropriate policies and procedures to implement these changes,” Austin said.
“The United States Armed Forces are in the business of defending our fellow citizens from our enemies, foreign and domestic. I believe we accomplish that mission more effectively when we represent all our fellow citizens. I also believe we should avail ourselves of the best possible talent in our population, regardless of gender identity. We would be rendering ourselves less fit to the task if we excluded from our ranks people who meet our standards and who have the skills and the devotion to serve in uniform,” Austin added.
