Major US airlines including Delta, JetBlue, United and American Airlines have agreed to allow passengers to book tickets without specifying a binary gender.
The Airlines for America trade association has agreed a new industry standard which will end the practice of forcing passengers to pick between “male” or “female” on booking forms.
An “unspecified” option will be added, in line with the five US states that already offer a gender X marker on state IDs for non-binary people.
A spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that the airlines had “recently approved a new international standard that will allow for ‘unspecified’ and ‘undisclosed’ as options in addition to ‘male’ or ‘female’.”
The changes will “account for non-binary IDs while ensuring continued compliance with U.S. and foreign government requirements that passenger data match the identification used for travel.”
A statement added: “U.S. airlines value a culture of diversity and inclusion, both in the workplace and for our passengers.
“We work hard each day to accommodate the needs of all travellers while delivering a safe, secure and enjoyable flight experience.”
The change will come into effect from June 1, however it will be up to each airline to update their individual booking platforms.Stop Covering Up Your Dark Spots – (Try This Instead)This breakthrough formula combines cutting-edge ingredients to help minimize the appearance of dark spots and give your skin a revitalized, age-defying look.Ad by Gundry MD
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are among the companies who form Airlines for America, while Delta Air Lines is not part of the grouping but has confirmed it will also introduce the change.
Delta confirmed: “As part of Delta’s ongoing efforts to accommodate the needs of diverse customers throughout our business, we are planning to offer a non-binary gender option during the booking process.
A spokesperson for United added: “As part of our commitment to inclusion, we want to ensure all of our customers feel comfortable and welcome no matter how they self-identify, which is why we will begin offering our customers the ability to select the gender with which they most closely identify during the booking process.
“Beginning in the coming weeks, customers will be able to identify themselves as M(ale), F(emale), U(undisclosed) or X(unspecified), corresponding to what is indicated on their passports or ID.
“Also, customers who do not identify with a gender will have the option of selecting ‘Mx.’ as a title.
“We are excited to share this next step as we continue to break down barriers to promote inclusion. We have worked with the Human Rights Campaign for our guidelines in enhancing this customer experience and to include all of United’s customers in the booking process.”
The five states that currently offer gender X IDs are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Minnesota and Oregon, plus the District of Columbia.
Recent research shed a light on the alarming reality of bisexual service members and veterans.
According to MedicalXPress, US service members and veterans who identify as bisexual may be at higher risk for mental health issues than their gay, lesbian or straight peers.
Bisexual individuals represent the largest segment of the LGBTI community. Interestingly, both bi men and women are overrepresented among those who have served in the military, MedicalXPress further reports.
The research is led by Katie McNamara, a US Air Force captain and third-year doctoral student at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
McNamara has identified a lack in research covering bisexual vets.
‘There’s quite a bit of research on military and veteran mental health and LGBTI health, but very little that combines the two. And before this project, there was absolutely nothing specifically focusing on the sexual minority subgroup of bisexual military-affiliated individuals,’ she explained.
McNamara teamed up with professors Jeremy Goldbach, Sara Kintzle and Carl Castro of the USC Military and Veterans Programs, as well as Air Force clinical social worker Carrie Lucas, PhD.
In terms of active duty service members, 2% of men identify as gay and 2% identify as bisexual. As for women, 7% identify as lesbian and 9% identify as bisexual.
Research also shows bisexuals (28%) are less likely to be out than gay (71%) and lesbian (77%) soldiers. This means they are less likely to have a community of like-minded individuals and allies to rely upon.
McNamara believes there’s a connection between this lack of support and the mental health of bi vets.
Bisexual veterans, in fact, are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from severe depression. They are also 2.3 times more likely to suffer from PTSD than their straight peers.
Furthermore, bisexuals are also three times more likely to suffer from depression than their gay and lesbian peers. Research highlighted they’re nearly twice as likely to experience PTSD than gay and lesbian vets.
McNamara set out to conduct a thorough statistical analysis using a multi-city sample.
‘Even when I controlled for a wide range of specific demographic and military-related variables that might put some populations at higher risk for certain mental health issues, the results still indicated that bisexual veterans fare more poorly in terms of mental health outcomes,’ she said.
Sarah Spiegel, a third-year med student at New York Medical College, is pushing for more comprehensive LGBTI health training.
After being disappointed in the brief information about LGBTI health given to her in her first year of med school, Spiegel decided to make a change.
By her second year, she became president of the school’s LGBT Advocacy in Medicine Club. Spiegel and a group of peers approached the administration about the lack of LGBTI content in the curriculum.
According to Spiegel, the administration was ‘amazingly receptive’ to the idea. Thus, the school went from an hour and half of LGBTI-focused content to seven hours. Spiegel does not think this change would have happened had the school’s LGBTI group not pushed for it.
Spiegel went on to join The American Medical Student Association’s Gender and Sexuality Committee as the LGBTQ Advocacy Coordinator. Her job in this role was to bring curricular change to other medical schools in the New York area.
Numerous studies have shown that medical schools do a poor job of training future doctors to understand the LGBTI population’s unique health needs. This is especially true when it comes to transgender and intersex people. A 2017 survey of students at Boston University School of Medicine found their knowledge of transgender and intersex health to be less than LGB health.
However, LGBTI people, especially transgender individuals, face a disproportionately high rate of mental illness, HIV, and other intersecting issues. A poll conducted by NPR found that 1 in 5 LGBTI adults have avoided medical care out of fear of discrimination.
‘The health of disparity populations is something that really should be the focus of health profession students,’ Dr. Madeline Deutsch, an associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, tells NPR.
‘Sexual and gender minorities have historically been not viewed as a key population. That’s unfortunate because of the size of the population, and because of the extent of the disparities that the population faces.’
While the amount of time medical students spend on LGBTI-related issues varies, a 2011 study found the median amount of time spent on the topic was a mere five hours. Topics most frequently addressed were safe sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. However, topics like gender transitioning weren’t often spoken of.
‘There’s not really a consistent curriculum that exists around this content,’ says Deutsch.
Activists doing the work
But with activists like Sarah Spiegel, LGBTI health is being spoken about more and more.
‘We’re getting there, but it’s slow,’ Spiegel tells NPR.
Transgender nurse Jesse Vroegh sued the Iowa Department of Corrections (ACLU of Iowa)
A transgender nurse has been awarded $120,000 after the Iowa prison where he worked rejected his requests to use the men’s bathrooms and locker rooms.
A District Court jury in Polk County decided on Wednesday (February 13) that Jesse Vroegh should receive $100,000 for damages for sex discrimination and $20,000 for discrimination in equal access to health care benefits, The New York Timesreported.
The case marks the first transgender rights case in Iowa since 2007, when the state added gender identity protections to the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
Vroegh, 37, sued the Iowa Department of Corrections (DoC) for workplace discrimination and damages related to being denied insurance coverage for a mastectomy and chest reconstruction after he decided to transition in 2014.
Jesse Vroegh has been fighting the transgender rights case for nearly a year (Jesse Vroegh/facebook)
When the DoC denied Vroegh’s requests, it cited the “rights of the male officers,” adding that transgender issues were “too controversial,” according to the lawsuit.
The nurse claimed he was told he could use the unisex bathrooms in a different building, in an area where he did not work.
Speaking to The Times, Vroegh recalled how being denied access to the men’s facilities at the prison “basically made me feel like they had put a roadblock in front of me, trying to stop my social transition.”
He added that it was “like wearing a Halloween costume, being who you are on the inside and knowing you can’t be who you are on the outside” and said he “involuntarily” left the job in 2016.
The jury decided that the DoC’s response to Vroegh’s request broke the Iowa Civil Rights Act requirement that employers allow workers to use “restrooms in accordance with their gender identity, rather than their assigned sex at birth.”
Transgender nurse Jesse Vroegh surprised by jury’s decision
Vroegh said he was “astonished” by the outcome of his lawsuit.
“It was about being in a country where you have rights and you are free and everybody should be treated equally,” he told The Times, adding: “It is worth it for anybody who comes up after me, who doesn’t have the voice to stand up to a big state entity.”
In a statement to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa, who supported his case, Vroegh said it made him “happy and proud” that a jury of Iowans had “recognised that I should be treated equally by my employer and provided the health care coverage I needed.”
“I thought it was an important thing to do for the transgender Iowans who come after me.”
— Jesse Vroegh
He continued: “The whole process of has been difficult and emotionally very trying for me. My life has been put under a microscope because of this case.
“But I thought it was an important thing to do for the transgender Iowans who come after me. I hope this decision means that they will be treated fairly in the future.”.
Activists hail victory for transgender rights in Iowa
In the statement, the ACLU of Iowa called the jury’s verdict “historic.”
The organisation stated that Vroegh’s lawsuit was “the first transgender rights case to be filed in Iowa district court since Iowa added gender identity protections to the Iowa Civil Rights Acts in 2007.”
Melissa Hasso, a lawyer who worked with Vroegh and the ACLU, said it was “a really important victory.”
She added: “It is a cutting edge victory nationally, let alone in Iowa.”
Do you plan on selling your home this spring? The best way to ensure that your home gets the attention you want it to, is to make sure it is totally ready for when those buyers start looking at the local real estate market. Here are some tips that you can use to make sure your home is ready to get noticed, both inside and out. The more of these things you can get done, the better!
Start by Cleaning Up the Outside
Take a few minutes to check the outside of your home. Since it is spring, no one expects the outside to be perfect. This is especially true if you live in an area where it snows. However, taking the time to trim bushes, rake the yard if you can, and make sure that the landscaping is not covering walkways can go a long way towards making a great first impression. Taking this one step further by cleaning the front door, wiping down the mailbox, and making sure your front porch light works can make your entryway appear even more inviting.
Make the Outside Inviting, If You Can
If it is already warm where you are, then add some nice color to the outside of your home. Add a few small planters with some flowering bulbs or spring flowers. The little splashes of color make your visitors more able to picture themselves living at the house. You do not need to put a lot out there, just a few small planters or a nice window box near the entryway is enough. For those with winter weather, you can opt for fake flowers, or you can use small lights or decorations instead.
Shine All Glass Surfaces
Take the time to wash all of your windows, polish all of your mirrors, and dust off any reflective surface in your home. Windows that are difficult to see out of, or mirrors that are smudged give the impression that the house has not been maintained as well as it should have been. If something as simple as mirrors and dusting is not kept up with, what about the bigger parts of the house? Keep up with the small details because buyers notice these little details.
Dust Off Stationary Materials of Your Home
One area of the home that often gets overlooked is stationary materials within your home. Take the time to vacuum your stationary drapes and get the dust off of them. An even better option is that you can take them to the dry cleaners. Get them clean and fresh smelling. While most people will only look at them, someone who is seriously giving your home buying consideration will go up and move items like these around. Vacuum off any of your furniture that will be there during the open house or walk-through as well, for the same reason. The fresher the area smells and looks, the happier potential buyers will be.
Sharpen the Look of Any Room You Can
Taking $20 or $30 to update a room’s look is well worth it when it comes to making your home look and feel more inviting. Add a fresh coat of neutral colored paint, and make sure the flooring of the room is as clean and nice looking as you can make it. Get the carpet steam-cleaned if it hasn’t been done recently, or have your wood floors polished. Those simple changes can give your room a welcoming feel that invites potential buyers in.
Make Any Simple Repairs That Stand Out
You may have gotten used to not opening a window in that back room because there is a hole in the screen and you do not want bugs to come in, but a potential buyer does not know that. They are only going to see that you didn’t take care of a small detail. It takes a few minutes and very little money to replace a screen. Check all windows for these types of problems, and fix any you find.
The same goes with other areas of your home. If you are so used to the imperfections of your home that you don’t notice them, ask a close friend or family member to look at your home objectively and point out any issues it may have. Make a list of the things they point out, and fix the things you have the ability to fix. This way, it shows that you gave your home a lot of TLC while living there, which boosts buyer confidence in your home.
Having a real estate agent can also help you sell your home. They will point out things they know buyers will notice so that you can make changes before your home gets listed. If you identify as part of the LGBTQ community, you can also seek the help of an LGBTQ-friendly real estate agent. Reach out to us here at www.GayRealEstate.com today to find out more!
Now, a recent study highlights the startling disparities Black trans women experience in HIV diagnosis and care. In a study with 422 Black trans women from six U.S. cities, nearly 60% of women living with HIV were undiagnosed, only 38% were getting regular HIV care and about a quarter (24.5%) were virally suppressed.
“In the general population, only about 18% of people living with HIV are estimated to be undiagnosed, compared to the 60% of Black transgender women in our study that were undiagnosed. That’s a huge disparity,” said lead author Leigh Bukowski, MPH.
Tiommi Luckett
“These numbers aren’t really a surprise,” said Tiommi Luckett, from Positive Women’s Network, who was not affiliated with the study.
“We’ve been aware that Black trans women are falling through the cracks in HIV testing and care for a long time. We can fix this—but we’ve got to take a hard look at how our systems of care are failing Black trans women. And we have to be aware of what it takes for Black trans women to go in and get tested—if they’re welcome in the space, if they see themselves reflected in the staff, if transportation is an issue, and if they feel safe accessing services,” said Luckett.
Black trans women from across the U.S. participated
Black trans women recruited from Black Pride events in Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. participated from 2014 to 2017 as part of the Promoting Our Worth, Equality, and Resilience (POWER) study.
Participants completed an anonymous self-administered health survey which asked about their HIV status, HIV care, assault, violence, substance use, social support, incarceration, housing status, hormone use, discrimination, sex work and depressive symptoms. Participants were then offered confidential HIV testing, or anonymous HIV testing if the participant did not want to know their HIV status.
The average age of women in the study was 30.7. Most (78%) had health insurance coverage, and 44% reported being able to access health care.
Violence, discrimination and other forms of oppression were commonly reported by participants. About 36% had been incarcerated in the previous two years, more than half (55%) reported experiencing gender discrimination in their lifetime, and 46% reported experiencing racial discrimination in their lifetime. In the past year, 42% had been homeless, 19% reported sex work, 44% reported physical assault and 46% reported violence from an intimate partner.
HIV rates among Black trans women
A total of 190 participants were living with HIV (45% of participants).
The researchers categorized participants as “undiagnosed HIV-positive” if the person tested positive on their HIV test, but indicated that they were HIV-negative or that they did not know their status on the survey. A total of 112 people were categorized in this “undiagnosed HIV-positive” group.
“One of the main findings was that almost 60% of Black trans women were undiagnosed at the time of the survey,” said Bukowski. She cautioned that this finding relies on self-report data, which may be influenced by participants’ reticence to state that they have been diagnosed with HIV on the survey.
There are many things that may prevent Black trans women from being able to access HIV testing services, said Luckett, a Black trans women who has been living with HIV for six years. Lack of transportation, housing, insurance, mistrust of traditional medical settings and other competing life concerns may all play a role.
“If am worried about where I am going to lay my head each night, or if I’m worried about how I’m going to feed myself, the last thing I want to worry about on top of that is an HIV diagnosis. If all looks bleak and hopeless, the last thing I want to find out is that I’m positive,” said Luckett.
Fear of a partner’s reaction can also be a significant barrier.
“You have to look at how violence shows up in people’s lives,” said Luckett. “We [trans women] are no different than anyone else. We want to be loved and feel loved. But a lot of times we’re looking for love in the wrong places. When our partners’ masculinity is threatened, we can become victims of violence. If I go and get an HIV test, and it comes back positive, I could be putting my life in danger.”
To bring in Black trans women, Luckett said that health care providers can incentivize testing with a meal or gift card and must go to where Black trans women already are.
“Come to where we are, because we don’t feel safe going where you are,” she said.
High rates of HIV care after diagnosis
Although the percentage of Black trans women who indicated HIV-positive status on the suvey was low, most of those who did were already accessing HIV care. Of the 78 people who knew of their HIV status, 96% were linked to care, 92% were receiving regular HIV care, 83% were receiving HIV medications and 58% were virally suppressed.
This was “a bright spot” in the research, said Bukowski. Although the rate of undiagnosed HIV was high, most people who were diagnosed were receiving HIV treatment and care.
Women who reported being incarcerated, homeless, using three or more drugs, sex work and physical assault were less likely to be virally suppressed. It was a surprise to the researchers, said Bukowski, that hormone use was also negatively associated with viral suppression.
“When you consider the syndemic nature of heath disparities in this population, and all of the things that Black trans women are experiencing, perhaps it comes down to an either-or decision,” she said. “You can either get hormones or HIV treatment. And they prioritize hormones. In many places, these services are not co-located. So you’re not getting your HIV care in the same place that you’re getting your gender-affirming health care. When you’re faced with these obstacles, it might come down to, ‘What’s most important to me?’”
Luckett pointed to the importance of providing gender-affirming health care such as hormone therapy in the same place as HIV care. “Many women prioritize hormone therapy as more important than antiretroviral therapy,” she said. “Services must be as comprehensive as possible. We don’t always have access to the services we need.”
Nashville on Monday became the first city in the South to recognize LGBT-owned businesses.
Nashville Mayor David Briley signed an executive order including LGBT Business Enterprises certified by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce in contracting and procurement opportunities throughout the city.
The new policy will give NGLCC-certified businesses in Nashville the same access to contracts and economic development opportunities as businesses owned by women and ethnic minorities.
“Thanks to the leadership of Mayor Briley and of our local affiliate chamber, the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce, LGBT entrepreneurs in the Nashville region will now have the opportunity to create jobs and develop innovations that benefit all who live there,” NGLCC Co-Founder and President Justin Nelson wrote in a press release.
“We hope this executive order in Nashville will encourage more mayors to proactively include the LGBT community for the optimum social and economic health of their cities,” NGLCC Co-Founder and CEO Chance Mitchell added.
Nashville is the first new city in 2019 to recognize LGBT-owned businesses. 2018 saw Baltimore and Jersey City and Hoboken, N.J., added to the list of cities that track and include NGLCC-certified businesses.
NGLCC says certified LGBT-owned businesses add $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy each year.
“We are excited to see LGBTBEs (NGLCC-certified businesses) in every field, from construction to catering and everything in between, help grow the economy of Nashville and beyond,” Nelson wrote.
Planned Parenthood, the 102-year-old organization providing sexual health care, is expanding their mission. The organization is introducing programs specifically for gay men and trans people.
Tell me more
For gay men, Planned Parenthood (PP) is now offering PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). This is a type of regimented medication to prevent HIV infection.
‘We’ve just started doing PrEP fairly recently,’ Phebe Brandt, a Philadelphia-based Planned Parenthood clinician, told Philadelphia Gay News.
‘We do all the counseling around it,’ Brandt continues. ‘We do all the testing that’s necessary, we actually provide prescriptions. And if people don’t have insurance and need to go through the program through Gilead to pay for it, we facilitate the applications for that.’
Gilead
Brandt is referring to Gilead’s in-house program created to help uninsured people access these medications, despite the huge out-of-pocket cost. While Gilead, a pharmaceutical company, has come under fire in the past for their high drug costsand accusations of withholding safer drugs, Brandt had nothing but good things to say about this program.
‘Gilead is actually pretty great about helping people afford their drugs,’ she said. ‘They have a very good program for uninsured people. You have to know about it, of course. But you just have to fill out the application for it and you get a pretty quick approval.’
Trans programs
This new PrEP program at Planned Parenthood inspired another expansion — offering treatment to transgender people.
‘We started providing hormone therapy for trans folks over a year ago, the summer of 2017,’ Brandt explains. ‘We soon realized that we were doing a disservice to our patients. Because we realized that trans folks who have sex with men are at such high risk for acquiring HIV, it was a disservice to them to not offer PrEP.’
While these services are currently only available at Brandt’s PP location in the Norristown area of Philadelphia, she expects other locations will begin offering PrEP to trans people soon.
Brandt notes that this new PrEP program was not the first time PP has catered to the LGBTI community, specifically gay men.
‘We’ve always provided services for gay men,’ she stated. ‘We’ve always provided STD testing and treatment for many, many years [and] we’ve been providing HIV testing for as long as it’s been available. We offer rapid testing, too.’
Counseling & Education
But one of the most needed programs, which PP has introduced, is counseling, education, and clinical services to trans people beginning hormone therapy.
‘We have everybody on their first visit meet with a social worker,’ Brandt said of the process. ‘They make sure that the client is in a good place to be starting hormone therapy. Make sure that they’re safe and also go over with them what changes to expect and other things they need to know. Most clients are already very well-educated about all this before they come to us, but we have to be sure. It’s very rare for the social worker to say the client is not in a good place to start the therapy. But we want to check just to make sure that everything’s good for them.’
‘If everything checks out, if everything is good, we actually have the medication in house to get them started on the hormone therapy. So, once again, if somebody doesn’t have insurance, then we can provide the medication on a sliding-fee scale.’
‘We’ve always felt that, as an organization, it was very important to be open to everybody, and to give understanding and excellent care to just anybody that walks through our doors,’ Brandt said.
A new poll has found a whopping 70 percent of the American public believe transgender people should be able to serve in the U.S. military despite policy from President Trump seeking to bar them from enlisting.
The Qunnipiac University Poll was published Tuesday in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court green lighting Trump’s transgender military ban.
Republicans were the only listed group in the poll opposed to transgender people in the military. They oppose transgender service 50-40 percent. Comparatively, Democrats backed transgender service 94-3 and independent voters support it 75-16.
Among racial groups, the greatest support for transgender service came from black Americans, who back it 90-8. White voters support transgender service 66-26 and Hispanics support it 72-13 (although a significant portion of Hispanics, 15 percent, are undecided.)
Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association said in a statement the poll demonstrates Trump anti-trans policy isn’t consistent with American values.
“It’s crystal clear that the far majority of Americans reject Donald Trump’s reckless, discriminatory attack on our nation’s brave transgender service members,” Broadway-Mack said. “Instead of singling out transgender troops for discrimination, Donald Trump should reverse course and honor them for the heroes they are. Transgender service members have proven time and again that what matters is their ability to accomplish the mission — not their gender identity.”
The poll found support overall is similar to where it stood in August 2017, when 68 percent of voters backed transgender service and 27 percent opposed it. That was months after Trump announced on Twitter ban transgender people from the military “in any capacity.”
The poll surveyed U.S. voters on a wide range of issues, finding Trump has a negative 38-57 percent job approval rating — a dip in approval compared to his 41–55 percent earlier in the month.
Quinnipiac also sought input from voters on other transgender issues. For example, the poll found 56 percent of voters think the United States is somewhat accepting of transgender people, compared to 23 percent who say the U.S. is not so accepting, 9 percent who say it is very accepting and 8 percent who say it is not accepting at all.
Asked whether transgender acceptance would be a good thing or bad thing for the country, voters were split 42-42 on saying it would be a good thing or make not much difference, compared to 12 percent who say it would be a bad thing.
The poll was conducted from Jan. 25 to 28 and surveyed 1,004 voters nationwide, according to Qunnipiac University.
A group of bipartisan lawmakers on Thursday introduced bills that would allow openly transgender people to enlist in the military and protect trans servicemembers who are already serving.
U.S. Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and Anthony Brown (D-Md.) introduced House Resolution 1032 in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) introduced an identical bill in the U.S. Senate.
The lawmakers introduced the bills less than three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court essentially allowed President Trump’s ban on trans servicemembers take effect.
Speier and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) are among those who invited trans servicemembers to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union Address as their guests. Several lawsuits that challenge the Trump administration’s policy have also been filed.
“Our transgender servicemembers put their lives on the line every day despite an ill-advised edict from the president,” said Speier in a press release. “This bill makes it clear to our brave transgender troops that we see them and that we honor the risks they take and sacrifices that they and their families make for the safety of our country. It’s also solid common sense. The president’s ban is not only hateful and un-American, it harms military readiness and morale and ultimately makes our country less strong.”
Gillibrand, who is among the Democrats who have announced they are running for president in 2020, agreed.
“President Trump’s ban on transgender service members is discrimination, it undermines our military readiness, and it is an insult to the brave and patriotic transgender Americans who choose to serve in our military,” said Gillibrand in a statement, noting the heads of all five military branches have spoken publicly in support of trans servicemembers in the armed forces.
“We should end this discriminatory ban for good and ensure our transgender service members can continue to do their jobs, serve with dignity, and protect our country,” she added. “That’s what our legislation would do, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to fight with me to overturn the president’s cruel and unnecessary ban, respect the transgender troops who are willing to die for our country, and pass this bipartisan bill now.”
Advocates welcomed the bills.
“No qualified service member or recruit should be denied the opportunity to serve their country because of their gender identity,” said Human Rights Campaign National Press Secretary Sarah McBride. “A bipartisan chorus of members of Congress and an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s transgender troop ban. This legislation would help ensure that transgender service members and enlistees are respected and protected under the law.”
“Thousands of qualified, patriotic transgender Americans raised their right hands and pledged an oath to defend the United States by serving in the military,” added American Military Partner Association President Ashley Broadway-Mack in a separate statement. “Instead of being singled out by the Trump-Pence administration for discrimination, these brave, highly trained warriors deserve our nation’s utmost support and thanks. We are grateful for Senator Gillibrand, Congresswoman Speier, and the members of Congress who are standing behind our nation’s trans service members and making clear that any qualified American should be able to serve — regardless of their gender identity.”
