A report issued by high-ranking generals makes it likely that the military will allow transgendered personnel to serve openly, following in the footsteps of the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” according to the Washington Examiner.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have thrown their support behind the proposal, which was released Tuesday. Written by Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock, Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender and Brig. Ge. Thomas A. Kolditz, the report estimates that about 15,500 transgendered personnel are currently serving secretly in the U.S. armed forces.
So far, two dozen personnel have been discharged from the military after their real identity was discovered.
“Our conclusion is that allowing transgender personnel to serve openly is administratively feasible and will not be burdensome or complicated. Three months have passed since Defense Secretary Hagel announced a willingness to review the military’s ban on transgender service, an effort the White House indicated it supports,” the 29-page Report of the Planning Commission on Transgender Military Service states. The report comes from the Palm Center, which operates out of San Francisco State University.
In fact, even if the recommendations of the report move forward, the U.S. would not be the first country to repeal the ban, having been beaten by 18 foreign nations and NATO allies. The decision in this case falls under the jurisdiction of the president and secretary of defense.
Also included in the report is a reminder that transgendered Americans view themselves as a different sex than the one assigned at birth. This means that the military should be open to paying for sex change surgery and hormone treatment. Both male and female uniforms should be open to transgendered personnel, as is the case with the British model.
Only minor modifications of administrative and regulatory burdens are needed in order to permit open service for transgendered personnel, the report argues. And additionally, there is little risk of post-surgical complication as a result of gender transitioning, as the Department of Health and Human Services has labeled it safe.
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