Deadline looming for military to start accepting transgender recruits
SAN DIEGO _ Conservative activists are calling for Defense Secretary James Mattis to reverse policy on transgender people in the U.S. military.
Mattis is facing a decision about whether to open the door to transgender recruits and new officers.
Policy set during the Obama administration established a July 1 deadline for the services to get ready to accept newcomers who are transgender.
Under former Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the Pentagon in June 2016 lifted the ban on transgender troops who were already serving.
But conservatives said Mattis isn't bound by the July 1 deadline and called on him to end what they termed "politically correct social agendas" in the military _ including LGBT Pride activities in June.
A public memo from the Conservative Action Project, signed by retired military generals and admirals and dozens of other prominent conservatives, calls for Mattis to end transgender military service altogether.
"The most problematic policies in this category are those addressing the presence of transgender individuals in the military," the Conservative Action Project wrote in the May 16 memo.
Between 6,000 and 14,000 transgender people are currently serving in uniform, out of a total of 1.3 million active-duty troops. Estimates are sparse on how many are waiting to join the armed forces, but it could be hundreds per year, one expert said.
USA Today has reported that two transgender cadets _ one at the Air Force Academy and one at West Point _ were allowed to graduate in May but have been denied an officer's commission due to the Pentagon's policy being unresolved.
USA Today has reported that two transgender cadets _ one at the Air Force Academy and one at West Point _ were allowed to graduate in May but have been denied an officer's commission due to the Pentagon's policy being unresolved.
_The San Diego Union-Tribune
