Statement on the Biden-Harris Administration Ending the Ban on Transgender Military Service

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration kept its promise to millions of Americans, servicemembers, military service organizations, and veterans service organizations and withdrew the transgender service ban.

In the near term, the resumption of the 2016 policy is clearly a first step. Both the Executive Order signed today and statements made by President Biden and Secretary of Defense Austin are clear that this is going to be a meticulously planned process. After years of bureaucratic chaos and violence against trans people, this is an indication of thoughtfulness, dedication, and commitment, which we welcome.

We are proud of the work we have done along the way, having fought with those that knew the injustice of excluding qualifying servicemembers solely because of prejudice. As our co-founder, Shawn Skelly said in 2019,“[The ban] is the most prominent part of a broader administration campaign to drive transgender people out of the mainstream of American society through the deliberate removal of legal recognition and protections of every sort.”

It’s important as the process gets underway to pace each step and correctly pace the whole process. The administration has made clear that it’s not a matter of simply going back to status quo ante, but that building back better means wholly incorporating transgender servicemembers and then celebrating their service. It also means securing their rights in settled law.

Further, a massive opportunity awaits to set a new paradigm for inclusive service based on established medical practice and the realities of military service qualifications and performance standards. We caution everyone that issuing a change of this magnitude will take some time before full implementation.

This is a promise kept: that all Americans can serve their country proudly. We look forward to continuing to advocate for and advise the new administration as these critical policy changes unfold.