Defense secretary Ash Carter says rule that trans people could be involuntarily separated, discharged or denied reenlistment would be dropped immediately

Transgender people can now openly serve in the US military, defense secretary Ash Carter announced on Thursday, the culmination of a years-long campaign by activists to change the Pentagon’s policy, which many derided as discriminatory.



In an announcement on Thursday, Carter said the defense department was changing its policies for transgender service members within the next 12 months, starting with the landmark decision to get rid of the rule that said transgender people could be involuntarily separated, discharged, or denied reenlistment or continuation of service just for being transgender. That change is effective immediately.

“I’m also confident that we have reason to be proud today of what this will mean for our military – because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s another step in ensuring that we continue to recruit and retain the most qualified people – and good people are the key to the best military in the world,” Carter said at a Pentagon press briefing. “Our military, and the nation it defends, will be stronger.”

There is no official count of transgender service members, but Carter cited an estimate from the thinktank Rand, which said about 2,450 of the 1.3 million active duty service members are transgender. Other groups, such as the the Transgender American Veterans Association, OutServe-SLDN and the American Military Partner Association, cite a higher figure of 15,500.

For years, a campaign led by former and current transgender military personnel and transgender rights activists sought to change the Pentagon’s policy, which was reminiscent of its failed don’t ask, don’t tell policy for gay and lesbian service members. Groups such as Servicemembers, Partners and Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All intensified their efforts on behalf of transgender military members after Congress repealed DADT in 2011.

Research institutes such as the Palm Center argued that an open-service policy would be beneficial, rather than the “social experiment” that some critics within the military feared. In 2015, the Transgender American Veterans Association and the American Military Partner Association released a report arguing that the ban was nothing but harmful to trans members of the military.

“The outdated regulations serve no purpose and only dehumanize and prevent qualified and capable individuals from enlisting and serving. The ban perpetuates trauma to all those involved, both the service member and their family,” the report read.



The department announced that within 90 days, the Pentagon will issue guidelines for providing transgender service members with the relevant medical care as well as a requirement to provide medical care based on those guidelines. The Pentagon will also issue a training handbook in that timeline.



Between October 2016 and June 2017, the department will begin training its forces, including commanders, medical personnel, recruiters and operating forces, on trans service in the military. Within a year, openly trans individuals may join the military, military academies or programs such as ROTC, provided they have “completed any medical treatment that their doctor has determined is necessary in connection with their gender transition”, according to the department, and are “stable” in their gender for 18 months.

Thursday’s announcement was immediately decried by longtime opponents of any change to the military’s transgender policies.

“This is the latest example of the Pentagon and the President prioritizing politics over policy,” Mac Thornberry, the Republican chair of the House armed services committee, said in a statement. “Our military readiness – and hence, our national security – is dependent on our troops being medically ready and deployable. The Administration seems unwilling or unable to assure the Congress and the American people that transgender individuals will meet these individual readiness requirements at a time when our Armed Forces are deployed around the world.”

Some supporters of ending the military’s policy also raised potential issues with the changes announced, for example the requirement that transgender service members will be required to demonstrate they are “stable in identified gender” for a period of 18 months.

The National Center for Transgender Equality praised the announcement as a “momentous victory”, but expressed concern about the 18-month delay. “Eighteen months is much longer than delays associated with other comparable medical treatments.”

“This is a lingering piece of transgender exceptionalism that we expect will change as the military see that it is simply an unnecessary barrier to getting the best talent,” NCTE executive director Mara Keisling said.

Carter, though, said there were numerous compelling reasons for the change: to maintain a strong military, to acknowledge transgender people currently serving and “as a matter of principle”.

“Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so,” Carter said. “After all, our all-volunteer force is built upon having the most qualified Americans. And the profession of arms is based on honor and trust.”

“It’s been an educational process for a lot of people here in the department, including me,” Carter said, explaining that the department reviewed medical, legal and policy considerations to reach this decision. “I have been guided throughout by one central question: is someone the best qualified service member to accomplish our mission?”

Carter announced in July 2015 that the Pentagon was working on policies to allow open service by trans people after the AP revealed the Pentagon’s deliberations.

In addition to a broad campaign to allow open service, trans service members have also confronted the military in piecemeal ways. The National LGBT Bar Association, for instance, has led efforts to correct the names and pronouns of trans service members on their discharge papers to reflect their gender identities.

Matt Thorn, executive director of the LGBT military network OutServe-SLDN, said in a statement that the group applauds Carter’s decision.

“Transgender service members have been awaiting this announcement for months and years: it has long been overdue,” Thorn said. “Secretary Carter, with his statement, has given a breath of relief and overdue respect to transgender service members who have been and are currently serving our country with undeniable professionalism, the utmost respect and illustrious courage, with the caveat to do so silently.”