“The Department of Defense has announced that it will be releasing an independent study of these issues in the coming weeks. In September, the Pentagon said it had created a panel of senior officials to study how to implement a directive by Trump to prohibit transgender individuals from serving. Pentagon spokeswoman Heather Babb said in a statement, “As mandated by court order, the Department of Defense is prepared to begin accessing transgender applicants for military service Jan. 1. The Pentagon on Dec. 8 issued guidelines to recruitment personnel in order to enlist transgender applicants by Jan. 1. In October, his administration said that a federal law banning gender-based workplace discrimination does not protect transgender employees, reversing an Obama-era position.

Source: New Strait Times December 30, 2017 01:18 UTC