President Joe Biden has signed an order reversing a Trump-era Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender individuals from serving in the US military.
The new order, which Mr Biden signed in the Oval Office during a meeting with defence secretary Lloyd Austin, overturns a ban ordered by former president Donald Trump in a tweet during his first year in office.
It immediately prohibits any service member from being forced out of the military on the basis of gender identity.
Mr Biden’s order says that gender identity should not be a bar to military service.
Today, I repealed the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military. It’s simple: America is safer when everyone qualified to serve can do so openly and with pride.
Biden Lifts Ban on Transgender People in Military texasguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from texasguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.