Transgender Vets Deserve Access To Care | Opinion
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/transgender-vets-deserve-access-to-care-opinion/ar-BB1jqhUE?ocid=windirect&cvid=58ef452e8e8d4f0da52b6692892bd3b0&ei=23
Story by Kelley Robinson and Allison Jaslow (6 March 2024)
The United States military is a fighting force for which this nation owes its freedoms. It is made up of millions of our fellow Americans, who are all volunteers, and whose sacrifices are great. They travel the globe, pick up their families when duty calls, and relocate to wherever their nation needs them. They are deployed at this very moment in combat zones in defense of our country and all that we stand for. And, these brave service members risk their lives day in and day out, and no matter their race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
But for too long, our transgender veterans—many of whom receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), have been left behind.
In 2021, VA Secretary Denis McDonough made an important announcement: that the administration would move to offer gender-affirming surgical services for transgender veterans. Despite this powerful commitment to righting a years-long wrong, the proposal has languished on the secretary's desk. And now, a petition to the department to move forward with the proposed rule has been denied. That is not acceptable. All of America's veterans deserve access to comprehensive care. Denial of care is a betrayal of their service and our moral obligation.
This is the reason that TAVA (Transgender American Veterans Association) filed a lawsuit (January 25, 2024), against the VA. First, they sent a demand letter that the VA honor their promises. The VA replied with the usual rhetoric, so TAVA took it to federal court. The official press release is on the TAVA website.