APA Opposes Ban on Transgender Military

APA reiterated its strong opposition to a ban of transgender Americans from the U.S. military after President Donald Trump issued a memo March 23 to disqualify them from military service except under certain limited circumstances.

“APA stands firmly against discrimination against anyone, and this ban is a discriminatory action,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., in a statement released to the press. “This ban not only harms those who have chosen to serve our country, but it also casts a pall over all transgender Americans. This discrimination has a negative impact on the mental health of those targeted.”

Transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria, who may require substantial medical treatment including medications and surgery, are disqualified from military service, the president wrote in the memo, quoting policies set forth by the secretary of Defense.

Trump first announced his ban on transgender military servicemembers last summer, first via Twitter in July and then in an August 25 memo. Transgender servicemembers have been serving openly since June 2016. Trump’s ban has faced legal challenges, and four federal courts have issued preliminary injunctions blocking the ban and ordering the administration to maintain the existing open-service policy.

In 2012 APA passed a position statement opposing discrimination against transgender individuals and called for their civil rights to be protected. “Being transgender gender or variant implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities; however, these individuals often experience discrimination due to a lack of civil rights protections for their gender identity or expression,” the statement reads. A second position statement called for the removal of barriers to care and supported both public and private health insurance coverage for gender-transition treatment.

“All Americans who meet the strenuous requirements and volunteer to serve in the U.S. military should be given the opportunity to do so,” Levin said. ■

APA’s Position Statement on Discrimination Against Transgender and Gender Variant Individuals can be accessed here. The Position Statement on Access to Care for Transgender and Gender Variant Individuals is available here.