Last week, a group of current and former US Military servicemembers met in Washington, DC to discuss their experiences with coming out as transgender during their service. They also discussed glaring inconsistencies in military policy on transgender individuals—inconsistencies highlighted in a new report issued by the Palm Center earlier this month.
The new report, Arbitrary and Capricious, finds that medical regulations affecting transgender personnel are inconsistent with the regulation of medical conditions in general, comparing military regulations governing four sets of representative medical conditions with regulations governing service by transgender individuals. Arbitrary and Capricious builds on findings in a March 2014 Report of the Transgender Military Service Commission concluding “there is no compelling medical rationale for banning transgender military service.”
The Palm Center, which through its research laid the groundwork for repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and is engaged in similar work on transgender military service, and its founder and executive director, Aaron Belkin, were honored with a GLMA Achievement Award at this year’s gala in Baltimore.
I work with active transgender service members and transgender veterans. Please call if help is needed.