Diversity Rules Magazine

4 Diversity Rules Magazine July 2016 e American Military Part- ner Association is the na- tion's largest organization of LGBT military spouses, families, and allies. Based in Washington DC, AMPA is committed to education, ad- vocacy, and support for our "modern military families." e American Military Partner Association (AMPA), the nation's largest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexu- al, and transgender (LGBT) military families, praised the July 1st announcement by the Pentagon of the much anticipated end to the military's ban on open service by transgender people. "Our transgender service members and their families are breathing a huge sigh of relief," said AMPA Presi- dent Ashley Broadway-Mack. "Soon, anyone who is qualified will finally be able to serve our great nation, regardless of their gender identity. We are eagerly an- ticipating the details of this historic announcement, and we are incredibly grateful for the leadership Sec- retary Carter has shown in getting us to this critically important point for our military families." In July of last year, Secre- tary Carter first announced that the DoD would finally update the outdated regu- lations that prevent open service by transgender ser- vice members and would take six months to assess the impact of the change and work out the details. e working group started with the presumption that "transgender persons can serve openly without ad- verse impact on military effectiveness and readiness, unless and except where objective, practical impediments are identified." In June of 2015, the American Medical Association approved a resolution saying there is "no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from service in the U.S. military." In March of 2015, AMPA launched an unprec- edented joint report with the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) highlighting the tremen- dous harm the outdated regulations inflict on military families. e report notes, "e outdated regulations serve no purpose and only dehumanize and prevent qualified and capable individuals from enlisting and serving. e ban perpetuates trauma to all those in- volved, both the service member and their family." ere are an estimated 15,500 transgender service members currently serving. For more information about the American Military Partner Association and LGBT military families, please visit AMPA's home on the web at www.MilitaryPart- ners.org. Transgender Ban Ended AMPA Welcomes Lifting of Ban AMPA's Mission Connecting, Supporting, Honoring, and Serving the Partners and Spous- es of America's LGBT Servicemem- bers and Veterans – Our "Modern Military Families" Donate As a non-partisan, non-profit organization, the American Military Partner Association is the nation's premier resource and support network committed to connecting, support- ing, honoring, and serving our modern mili- tary families. You can help us continue our important work by making a secure, online donation right now through PayPal. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, your con- tribution to AMPA is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

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