WASHINGTON — Newly installed Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday that he’s “very open-minded” about transgender people serving in the U.S. military — a sign that the department may be moving closer to lifting its ban.
Carter, who became defense secretary this month, was asked for his thoughts on transgender people serving in combat during a Q&A with troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The U.S. military explicitly prohibits transgender people from serving, though an estimated 15,500 transgender people are serving anyway, in secret, according to a 2014 Palm Center report.
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“I’m open to those assessments, because, again, I go back to the bottom line, every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it,” Hagel said.
