The Pentagon has marked the International Transgender Day of Visibility by officially repealing former President, Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people openly serving in the United States military.
The United States Defence Department made the announcement of the new policy allowing transgender people to openly serve on March 31 2021 (Local time) – essentially reinstating Obama era policy.
According to the Associated Press trans people who meet military standards to enlist, are able to serve openly in their self-identified gender, along with being able to access medically necessary transition-related care.
Speaking about the announcement Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III explained “On this International Transgender Day of Visibility, we recognise the great strides our nation has made raising awareness of the challenges faced by the transgender community.”
“Their shared stories of struggle and heartache remind us that more work needs to be done to ensure that every person is treated with dignity and respect no matter how they identify.”
“To that end, I am pleased to announce that we have updated departmental policy governing the open service of transgender individuals in the military.”
