The Pentagon issued a new declaration of its goals for human rights—and although the document affirms for the first time inclusion of gay, lesbian and bisexual service members, it omits any reference of either transgender troops or civilian workers, The Washington Blade reported.
The document, known as the Department of Defense Human Goals Charter, sets forth principles for the Pentagon to “create a culture of inclusion” in the U.S. armed forces, both on the military and the civilian side.
Although the document sets goals for the department, it doesn’t necessarily reflect a change in policy or law.
During the signing ceremony April 28, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel touted the progress the Pentagon in integrating openly gay people in the military since repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the U.S. Supreme Court decision against the Defense of Marriage Act.
The American Military Partner Association (AMPA), an organization for LGBT military spouses and their families, issued a statement regarding the declaration. “We applaud the Secretary of Defense and the Administration for including sexual orientation with these important goals in equal opportunity to build stronger and more inclusive command climates throughout the Department of Defense (DoD),” said Stephen Peters, president of AMPA.
However, Peters added, “We call upon the Secretary and the Administration to take swift action in changing the official DoD Non-Discrimination Policy and the Military Equal Opportunity Program to include sexual orientation as a protected class for uniformed troops against unlawful prejudice and discrimination. … We also look forward to the day when the Human Goals Charter addresses gender identity and our transgender service members are no longer forced to serve in silence.”