A recent report has found that US Navy and Marine Corps review boards have defied administration orders by voting to retain transgender-identifying service members in the majority of cases.
What happened
According to the report, in 9 out of 12 cases, the boards have voted to keep the transgender-identifying troops, despite strict instructions to remove them. The proceedings are conducted in secret, and the boards' votes are recommendations that can be reversed by the secretaries overseeing the military branches.
The administration had directed review boards to process the cases under strict rules, which require dismissal if there is any evidence of transgender feelings or tendencies. However, the Navy and Marine Corps boards have taken a different approach, with some boards voting to retain the service members.
In contrast, the report found that the Army and Air Force review boards have overwhelmingly voted to discharge transgender-identifying service members. The Pentagon had previously offered payments to transgender-identifying individuals who voluntarily left the military, while others remained to challenge their dismissals.
