Statement attributed to:
David O. Barbe, M.D.
President, American Medical Association

“There is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from military service. Transgender individuals are serving their country with honor, and they should be allowed to continue doing so.

“AMA policy also supports public and private health insurance coverage for treatment of gender dysphoria as recommended by the patient's physician. According to the Rand study on the impact of transgender individuals in the military, the financial cost is a rounding error in the defense budget and should not be used as an excuse to deny patriotic Americans an opportunity to serve their country. We should be honoring their service - not trying to end it.”

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