AMA statement on Pentagon's ban on transgender in military

Statement attributable to:
Barbara L. McAneny, M.D.
President, American Medical Association

“With the Pentagon’s new ban on transgender individuals serving in the military going into effect on Friday, the AMA is troubled that the DoD characterizes the need to undergo gender transition as a ‘deficiency.’ The DOD regulation also instructs service secretaries to add gender-dysphoria to service-specific lists of ‘administratively disqualifying conditions’ that DoD regulations label ‘congenital or developmental defects.’ The only thing deficient is any medical science behind this decision. The AMA has said repeatedly that there is no medically valid reason—including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria—to exclude transgender individuals from military service. Transgender service members should, as is the case with all personnel, receive the medical care they need. There is a global medical consensus about the efficacy of transgender health care, including treatment for gender dysphoria.