Palm Center's Call to End Transgender Military Ban Sparks Discussion

BAYLOR LARIAT -- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel brought the U.S. military’s ban on transgender service members back into the national conversation in May when he appeared on ABC’s “This Week” and said the policy “continually should be reviewed.” Hagel also said, “Every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it.” Hagel’s comments came after an independent commission released a report calling for an end to the ban on transgender service members. San Francisco State University commissioned the five-member panel that included Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General, and Rear Adm. Alan Steinman, the former Coast Guard Chief Health and Safety Director. Since then, multiple LGBT advocacy groups have intensified their fight to end the ban.