Services required to report plans to accept new transgender troops
WASHINGTON — A top Pentagon official has called on the civilian and uniformed leaders of the armed services to report on their plans to begin accepting new transgender troops by July 1, according to a memo obtained by USA TODAY.
Last year, the Pentagon rescinded its ban on transgender troops, allowing those in uniform to serve openly. The policy, established under then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter in the Obama administration, also called for the services to develop plans to educate troops about transgender issues and to accept enlisted recruits and officer candidates by this summer.
The May 8 memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work instructs the service secretaries and chiefs of the armed services to assess the military’s “readiness to begin accepting transgender applicants on July 1, 2017.” Their assessments are due May 31.
Read more at usatoday.com.
Notre Dame graduates walk out of Notre Dame Stadium in protest as Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the 2017 commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 21, 2017, in South Bend, Ind. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)
Notre Dame graduates walk out of Notre Dame Stadium in protest as Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the 2017 commencement ceremony, Sunday, May 21, 2017, in South Bend, Ind. (Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)