Pentagons korta svar till pressen: ”Ring Vita huset”

Many militaries across the world allow LGBT personnel to serve openly. In 1974, the Netherlands was the first country to impose a policy that explicitly permits LGB people to serve in the military. Although many countries no longer exclude service on grounds of sexual orientation, there are still many countries that will exclude service on the grounds of gender identity. In a recent study by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, of the 103 countries studied, 19 countries allow transgender military personnel, and a further nine countries might allow transgender personnel (but this could not be confirmed by the study). The 19 countries confirmed as allowing transgender people to openly serve in their militaries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom. Department of Defense regulations that ban transgender persons from US military service were repealed on June 30, 2016. Generally speaking, Western militaries show a greater tendency toward inclusion of LGBT individuals; however, some countries still expressly exclude transgender people.