Carey: Defense Secretary “Must Move Beyond Words (on Trans Military Ban) and Take Action Now”

WASHINGTON, DC, February 24, 2015 —The National LGBTQ Task Force is urging the new Defense Secretary Ash Carter to lift the trans military service ban immediately. Mr. Carter raised hopes for a change of policy in remarks he made to NBC over the weekend.

“While the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ brought us one step closer toward full equality for LGBTQ people, transgender people are still denied the opportunity to serve openly in our military simply because of who they are. This is not a matter of ‘personal lives and proclivities’ as Secretary Carter put it over the weekend: this is about gender identity and the right to bring your entire self to a life of service and sacrifice. Report after report shows that this ban is unnecessary, unfair and completely unhelpful in building a military that is strengthened by real diversity. We urge Mr. Carter to move beyond words and to take action now. Lift the ban Mr. Secretary,” said Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director.

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Media Contacts:
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