Report: Palm Center Research Effects Changes in Military Transgender Policy

NEWSMAX -- The Obama administration and Department of Defense likely will take action soon to allow transgender military personnel to serve openly, the Washington Examiner reported. President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel appear to be firmly behind the proposal contained in a recent report that the United States join with 18 other nations and NATO allies, which currently allow transgender individuals to serve openly in their armed services, according to the Examiner. The report, from the San Francisco State University’s Palm Center think tank’s Planning Commission on Transgender Military Service, states, “Our conclusion is that allowing transgender personnel to serve openly is administratively feasible and will not be burdensome or complicated. Three months have passed since Defense Secretary [Chuck] Hagel announced a willingness to review the military’s ban on transgender service, an effort the White House indicated it supports.”