In a surprising development Thursday, the U.S. Air Force announced a move that could eventually lead to open transgender service.
The director of the Air Force Review Boards Agency, rather than local unit commanders, must now approve the removal of a transgender individual from the Air Force.
“Neither gender dysphoria nor self-identification as transgender is an automatic circumstance that generates involuntary separation,” the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs said in a statement.
Though the Air Force’s outdated policy regarding transgender service members remains intact, yesterday’s announcement marks an important step forward. The Army announced a similar change earlier this year.
“This is a significant step forward for a portion of roughly 15,000 current transgender service members across all branches,” said Allyson Robinson, SPARTA Director of Policy. “However, we need a consistent solution across all the services. The New York Times highlighted what SPARTA has said for many months: there is a patchwork of solutions out there, with local commanders struggling to reconcile unclear guidance with their responsibility to retain good people. Secretary Carter needs to take the lead and align the services around an updated policy that allows our military to get and keep the best and the brightest.
SPARTA has also called for a moratorium on transgender discharges until the policy is updated to reflect current medical practice.
