Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with a discriminatory provision—which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) insisted on attaching at the eleventh hour—that would ban best-practice gender-affirming care for transgender minor dependents of military service members. In response, Cait Smith, director of LGBTQI+ Policy at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, issued the following statement:
The NDAA anti-trans provision dishonors our most honorable—shamefully messaging that while military members are trusted with the safety of our country, they cannot be trusted with the health care of their own families.
We appreciate the many members of Congress who stood with LGBTQI+ military families and opposed the NDAA. Let’s be clear—Speaker Johnson and Republicans are trying to put President Joe Biden in a corner with vital legislation. The NDAA has always been used to advance U.S. national security strategy. Speaker Johnson has hijacked this process. Our service members and their families deserve better than to be used as another political tool for MAGA Republicans to distract from their own extreme policies. Many members of Congress—including most House Democrats—stood with military families and protected their freedom to make their own medical decisions by voting against this provision.
As a veteran, I understand the importance of ensuring our military is paid well. As a trans person, I know that gender-affirming care is life saving. This legislation places military families under stress at a time of serious recruitment and retention challenges, ultimately making our country less safe and secure.
Related resource: “Transgender Medical Care: What You Should Know and How To Preserve Access to Care” by Cait Smith and Haley Norris
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected].