No one should be excluded from a job based on their identity or their sexuality – especially when that job is protecting the country. This week, The U.S. Military will announce their plans to no longer exclude transgender individuals from being service members. “We must ensure that everyone who’s able and willing to serve has the full and equal opportunity to do so,” said Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
Officials will assess the cost of the necessary changes, such as bathrooms and uniforms, over a period of six months. “Secretary Carter’s clear statement of intent means that transgender service members should and will be treated with the same dignity as other service members,” Allyson Robinson, director of a LGBTQ association for personnel.
Lesbian and gay people were no longer excluded from the military when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed in 2011. Hopefully, all LGBTQ people will soon have the same opportunity that they rightfully deserve.
Image via: One Equal World
Read more on BUST.com:
John Oliver’s Take On Trans Rights Gets The Laverne Cox Seal Of Approval
Look Sharp, Ladies! Army Introduces New, Female-Fitting Uniforms
Ask A Trans Man: Memoirist Chris Edwards Shares His Story
