Democratic lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Defense from discriminating against or barring transgender individuals from serving in the military.
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) introduced the bill on Monday with the support of 22 Democratic co-sponsors. Though a full-text version of the legislation is not yet available, Jacobs said its purpose is to “prevent future discriminatory policies” against transgender military service members.
Jacobs introduced the bill just over a month after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced legislation seeking to codify specific eligibility requirements for transgender individuals to serve in the military. The Republican bill, titled the “Ensuring Military Readiness Act,” would require transgender individuals to have been “stable for 36 consecutive months in their biological sex prior to accession” into the military, and would allow transgender service members who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria while in the military to remain in service as long as they do not pursue gender reassignment therapy or hormone therapy….