Biden Signs Anti-LGBTQ Defense Bill

Despite President Biden’s repeated promises to veto legislation that would enshrine discrimination against our transgender community he has signed the discriminatory NDAA into law. This means that thousands of military families now face loss of medically necessary care for their children. As we reported December 11th Speaker Mike Johnson added a provision in the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that blocked healthcare for the transgender children of military servicemembers. This provision is the first anti-LGBTQ federal law enacted since the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Kelley Robinson HRC President stated, “Military families lay everything on the line for our country. They uproot & move at a moment’s notice, make immense personal sacrifices & often risk their lives in defense of our freedoms. In turn, that sacrifice has been met with disrespect & the use of their children as a political bargaining chip. For them, this law is not about politics – it’s about losing the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Congress & the White House have failed military families. This country’s first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law in almost 30 years disgraces those who have sacrificed so much. We will continue to support, trust & fight for all military families.” U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) concluded, “I trust our servicemembers & their doctors to make the best healthcare decisions for their kids, not politicians.” Every credible medical organization representing over 1.3 million doctors in the United States agrees that age-appropriate health care for transgender & non-binary people is medically necessary & best practice. A recent Gallup poll found that more than 60% of Americans oppose laws that seek to ban access to medically necessary care for transgender youth.

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