Ending Trans Veterans Affirming Care

The new administration has announced that it is phasing out providing gender-affirming care for veterans through the Veterans Administration. Kelley Robinson HRC President stated, “Transgender veterans share the same commitment & the same love of country as all other veterans. They made the same sacrifices & are owed the same respect & care after their service. Despite this, the VA has decided to turn its back on transgender veterans who committed their lives to serving in our armed forces—complying with an Administration hellbent on harming & scapegoating the transgender community. We must continue to stand up for our transgender servicemembers & veterans. We must push back against these attacks until our nation’s policies reflect the values of honor, respect & duty that our transgender veterans embody.” This is just the latest action from the new administrations that abandons our servicemembers & veterans simply because of their gender identity. Earlier this year Trump signed an executive order banning trans people from serving in the military & last month HRC, Lambda Legal, GLAD & NCLR have filed numerous federal lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the ban on military service by transgender people. Research has consistently found that receipt of gender-affirming care can significantly improve the lives of people who receive it. Every major medical & mental health organization including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics & the American Psychological Association recognizes that gender-affirming care is medically necessary to support people in affirming their gender identity. Treating American transgender veterans differently simply because of who they are is out of touch with the values of the American people.