an important announcement: that the administration would move to offer gender-affirming surgical services for transgender veterans.
The commitment was made not simply to uphold the VA's charge of providing comprehensive medical care for all veterans, but also as an acknowledgment of the discrimination that has plagued LGBTQ service members and veterans for generations.
Despite this powerful commitment to righting a years-long wrong, the proposal has languished on the secretary's desk. And now, a petition to the department to move forward with the proposed rule has been denied.
That is not acceptable. All of America's veterans deserve access to comprehensive care. Denial of care is a betrayal of their service and our moral obligation.According to nearly all major medical organizations in the U.S., gender-affirming care is both best-practice and medically necessary.