Taryn McLean, a Portsmouth resident and transgender Navy Petty Officer, was interviewed on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports today as Trump’s transgender military ban went into effect.
The Pentagon’s controversial policy for transgender service members went into effect today. The new regulation keeps transgender troops from serving in the nation’s military openly and also “blocks all use of DoD or DHS resources to fund sex reassignment surgical procedures.”
Under the new policy, any person who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and has received medical treatment – either hormones or surgery – will not be allowed to join the military. If they have been diagnosed, but have not received medical treatment, they will still be eligible to join.
“For me personally it affects where I’m going to be going in my career,” he said. “I know longer have the option to become an officer if I want to due to the Sessions policy.”
When asked by Mitchell how his fellow troops have reacted to the ban, McLean said, “My particular workplace is very welcoming of who I am, and they recognize that” he said. “However, I have been to places that aren’t accepting, and other places that are very limiting because of where their transgender troops are in their medical process or they have not yet received an official diagnosis.”
The Defense Department says people can serve if they remain their biological sex. They estimate that nearly 15,000 troops identify as transgender and could potentially be impacted by the policy.
All transgender soldiers currently serving will be allowed to stay in uniform, however, regardless of whether they have received medical treatment.
McLean has become a vocal advocate for transgender military service member rights. He was featured in the second edition of OutLife757 Magazine in 2016. Last year, The Virginian-Pilot chronicled his journey in a series that spanned 16 months of his life.
