The ban on transgender individuals in the U.S. military forces could end May 27, according to USA Today.
A memo the publication obtained actually discusses ending the policy and highlights some of the potential issues, including a program that would provide leaves of absences for transgender troops being treated with hormones or undergoing gender-reassignment surgery.
A repeal of the policy would affect approximately 12,000 troops.
Last month, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced a working group that would look into the logistics of such a repeal.
The American Military Partner Association ( AMPA ), which support LGBT military families, praised the development. AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack said in a statement, "If indeed the Pentagon targets May of next year as the date to officially lift the ban, it will not get here soon enough. All service members and their families, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserve to be able to serve our nation proudly and authentically."
Kristin Beck, a transgender former Navy SEAL who is running for Congress, and Sgt. Shane Ortega, the first open transgender U.S. Army member, jointly said, "The ending of this ban gives hope to a more inclusive future. Now, we are living out the true meaning of our Constitutional creedto honor and respect ALL gender identities of our servicemembers. Today our military has been lifted up. We move from strength, to strength in defense of the greatest country in the world."
The USA Today article is at www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/25/military-transgender-ban-set-end-next-may/32345385/ .