The United States Department of Defense and the Pentagon are still at odds when it comes to allowing openly transgender service members in the military. Officials in the Defense Department said the Pentagon is far from finalizing changes that will benefit transgender service members.
Process Expected To Last For Months
Four months have already passed after the deadline of Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter's proposal allowing openly transgender service members in the military. Pentagon's Acting Personnel Chief Peter Levine said the change will likely take months before it gets finalized, the Washington Post reported.
Levine said officials in the services have different viewpoints about the matter. However, they are committed to doing the transition for transgender service members right, the news outlet noted.
Transgender rights have recently gained attention in the U.S., specifically when North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory passed a law called House Bill 2 that bans transgender people from using bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex. The U.S. Justice Department has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state and threatened to slash their federal funding. McCrory retaliated by also filing a lawsuit that accuses the U.S. Justice Department of "a baseless and blatant overreach."
US Defense Department's Historic Transitions
The military's move to allow openly transgender service members comes in the midst of another historic transition that permits women to serve in all combat roles. This month, Gen. Lori Robinson became the first woman leader of a U.S. military combatant command.
Robinson will be the head of the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, ABC News reported. Robinson's historic appointment was lauded by Time magazine by including her on its 100 Most Influential People of 2016 list.
The Pentagon used to consider transgender individuals as sexual deviants, which makes it easier for them to be discharged from the military. In 2015, the Department of Defense put the discharge authority in the hands of high-ranking officers. This makes discharging transgender people a more complex process.
Independent think tank Palm Center found that there around 12,800 transgender members serving in the military, the Washington Post wrote. Many have come out to their own units, but the Pentagon still lacks policies for gender-specific matters like uniforms, grooming and bathroom use.
In a recent speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Carter said being transgender shouldn't prevent a service member's success in the military. Accomplishing the mission is always the top priority, as well as the excellence and readiness of the force, Military.com reported.
