Pentagon delays transgender recruitment by six months

[rooster59]

Pentagon delays transgender recruitment by six months

 

U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis leaves a news conference after a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday approved a six-month delay in allowing transgender recruits to join the U.S. armed forces, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

 

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that Mattis accepted a recommendation to defer transgender applicants until Jan. 1.

 

The Pentagon ended its ban on openly transgender people serving in the U.S. military in 2016 under the Barack Obama administration. It was expected to start allowing transgender people to begin enlisting this year, provided they had been "stable" in their preferred gender for 18 months.

A delay under President Donald Trump's administration alarmed transgender advocates.

 

"We are disappointed in this needless delay because the thousands of highly trained and qualified transgender service members openly and proudly serving our nation today have proven that what matters is the ability to accomplish the mission, not their gender identity," Stephen Peters of the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement.

 

Last year, then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter cited a study by the RAND Corporation saying there were about 2,500 transgender active-duty service members and 1,500 reserve transgender service members.

 

Rand's figures were within a range, which at the upper end reached 7,000 active duty forces and 4,000 reserves.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-01

[BigBadGeordie]

Get them in to service now, some of those girls have a lot of balls.

[timkeen08]

Get them in to service now, some of those girls have a lot of balls.

Regardless of what they have chosen to become, special priveleges are in order for their great sacrifices. Such as bypassing basic training and being assigned straight to the new FLAT special services - Front Line Action Team since they have already proven they can withstand radical insurgence. The military is well known for making special accommodations for those that think they are special. After all, their country needs them.

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