Dear John: Today, the Senate passed the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the final version includes the provision that eliminates necessary gender-affirming care for military service members’ transgender children. Thousands of you—PFLAG military families, veterans and civilians—contacted your Senators and Members of Congress to demand the removal of this discriminatory amendment. You raised your voices and made it clear that the military families who serve and sacrifice for our country deserve better. Our transgender kids deserve better. This fight isn’t over. Today, I sent the following statement to media, and I also directly urged President Biden to veto the NDAA. You can read my letter to him, here. “Those who serve and sacrifice for our country deserve better than the majority of our Senate delivered today. Thousands of PFLAG military families, veterans and civilians contacted their Senators and Members of Congress to demand the removal of the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that eliminates access to life-affirming healthcare for the transgender children of military service members. Yet, today Senators failed to do the difficult and morally right thing to fight for military families to get both the significant raise in pay they deserve and also maintain their parental rights to get the healthcare their children need, including their transgender children. PFLAG families across the nation urge President Biden to veto this NDAA and send it back to Congress to do their job and ensure our military does not harbor discrimination.” PFLAG has worked with military families and service members for most of our 50+ year history. We will continue to fight to honor your service and sacrifice. In solidarity,  Brian |
|
