White House echoes Pentagon chief on transgender troops

Tom Vanden Brook | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday endorsed Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's remarks over the weekend suggesting his openness to allowing transgender troops to serve in the military, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

When asked about transgender troops serving in combat, Carter told troops in Afghanistan that he was "very open-minded" about who should be able to serve provided "they can do what we need them to do for us." He added: "I don't think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them."

"I can tell you that the president agrees with the sentiment that all Americans who are qualified to serve should be able to serve," Earnest said. "And for that reason, we here at the White House welcome the comments from the secretary of Defense."

Currently, troops with gender dysphoria, a recognized medical condition, are barred from serving by the Pentagon. Last week, USA TODAY reported that the Army has a draft proposal to require decisions on kicking out transgender soldiers from the service to be made by a senior civilian official rather than a midlevel officer. If adopted, the rule would function as a moratorium on dismissing transgender troops in the Army.

Earlier this month, USA TODAY reported that the Army had agreed to allow hormone therapy treatment for Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier incarcerated at its Fort Leavenworth prison. Manning was convicted of divulging thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks and is serving a 35-year sentence there.

There are about 15,000 transgender troops serving in secret, according to The Palm Center, which publishes research on issues regarding sexual orientation and the military. It estimates that dozens of transgender troops have been discharged from the service in recent years.

Earnest's remarks were welcomed by Joshua Block, who leads the American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project. Block said Chuck Hagel, Carter's predecessor, made similar comments but Pentagon policy remains unchanged.

"With so many people now acknowledging that the ban on transgender service members is harmful and unnecessary, I hope the military will start translating Secretary Carter's words into actions," Block said.

There are no specific plans to review the Pentagon's policy banning transgender troops from serving, said Lt. Cdr. Nate Christensen, a spokesman. However, a routine review of medical policies that include the transgender ban began earlier this month. It takes more than one year to complete, he said.

Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, said Carter's remarks are encouraging but "the real test is whether he will order a review of the ban and whether action will follow rhetoric."