Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday said he was open to looking at the military’s ban on transgender service members and potentially reworking the rule.
“I do think it — it continually should be reviewed. I’m open to that, by the way. I’m open to those assessments, because, again, I go back to the bottom line. Every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “This is an area that we — we’ve — we’ve not defined enough.”
Hagel noted that it could be difficult to accommodate transgender soldiers’ medical needs.
“The issue of transgender is a bit more complicated, because it has a medical component to it. These issues require medical attention. Austere locations where we put our men and women in — in many cases, don’t always provide that kind of opportunity,” he said.
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