"A new policy rolled out by the Pentagon effectively removes a crucial part of due process for military service members facing involuntary separation under Trump's second ban on transgender military members. Those who wish to argue against their separation at a board hearing will now have the final decision made by a superior who is not required to participate in that hearing."
""The administration knows these service members have done absolutely nothing wrong and that they are being discharged despite years of faithful service, commendations, honors, promotions, and deployment to combat zones across the globe," Shannon Minter, legal director and vice president of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, told The Advocate. "This is a cruel and bizarre attempt to deflect attention from the reality that these proceedings reflect a deeply flawed policy that is harmful to the military and to our country.""
The Pentagon's new policy removes a procedural safeguard for service members facing involuntary separation under the administration's second ban on transgender military service. Service members who contest separation in administrative separation boards or boards of inquiry can present legal representation, evidence, and peer testimony, and boards issue recommendations based on a preponderance of evidence. Under the policy, a superior who is not required to participate in the board hearing can make the final retention-or-dismissal decision, effectively shifting final authority away from the hearing participants. Advocates call the change cruel and harmful to both service members and military readiness.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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