WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense has released the details on how transgender people can enlist in the military, NBC OUT reported Wednesday.
From NBC OUT:
A Department of Defense memo dated December 8, 2017, explains that if an applicant’s preferred gender is different than their birth sex, they may present a birth certificate, court order or passport indicating their preferred sex and will be processed into the military under that gender.
Room assignments, height and weight standards, medical exams, underwear requirements, and bathroom assignments will be determined based on the “preferred” gender, even when the individual retains “the anatomical characteristics of their birth sex,” the memo says.
Both male and female applicants who have undergone sex confirmation surgery will be disqualified from joining the military until they have been physically and emotionally stable for at least 18 months, the news website reported.
Applicants may request privacy during the group screening procedures and have chaperones based on preferred gender. Once the recruit has been processed, the only record of any discrepancy between birth sex and preferred gender is a medical history form that maintains the applicant’s privacy.
The Trump administration is still fighting to implement its ban on transgender military members. The Pentagon formed the policy in response to a federal court ruling that it had to admit members while the appeal on the order continued through the courts.
