US to end ban on transgender soldiers

The US will end its ban on transgender soldiers serving in the armed forces, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter has announced.“Defence Department’s current regulations regarding transgender service members are outdated and are causing uncertainty that distracts commanders from our core missions,” Carter said in a statement on Monday as he announced creating a working group to study over the next six months the policy and readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly.

The working group would be led by the (Acting) Under Secretary of Defence for Personnel and Readiness Brad Carson. “At my direction, the working group will start with the presumption that transgender persons can serve openly without adverse impact on military effectiveness and readiness, unless and except where objective, practical impediments are identified,” he said.

“I am directing that decision authority in all administrative discharges for those diagnosed with gender dysphoria or who identify themselves as transgender be elevated to Under Secretary Carson,” he said.