Thursday, August 13, 2015
FORTUNE -- Aaron Belkin, a professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University, told Reuters that transition care for transgender members of the United States military would cost around $5.6 million — an amount he called “little more than a rounding error,” considering the military’s total expenditure. The $5.6 million sum breaks down to 22 cents per service member per month. Belkin arrived at his conclusion by estimating how many closeted transgender people currently serve, and examining the precedent set by Australia, which already funds transgender-related care. The surgery and hormone therapy often included in transition care for transgender individuals can run around $30,000 over the course of several years. Belkin predicts that about 188 service members would receive such care.
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