美联社
档案——在这个星期三，2021年1月27日，档案照片，退伍军人事务部长提名人丹尼斯·
德尔·威尔明顿。退伍军人事务部正着手提供变性人退伍军人国务卿丹尼斯·麦克多诺周六在奥兰多举行的“骄傲月”活动上宣布进行性别确认手术。
麦克多诺在事先准备好的评论中表示，此举“是正确的”，是为了克服对男女同性恋、双性恋、变性者和双性人服务成员歧视的“黑暗历史”而做出的努力的一部分。这一举措仅仅是扩大退伍军人事务部长达一年的联邦规则制定过程的第一步健康但是麦克多诺说，退伍军人管理局将利用这段时间来“发展能力以满足变性者的手术需求”退伍军人。
他说，这一决定将允许“变性兽医在退伍军人管理局的支持下，通过完整的性别确认过程。”麦克多诺还提到了他所说的男女同性恋、双性恋和变性者退伍军人患精神疾病和有自杀想法的比例较高，以及对歧视的恐惧使这些退伍军人无法寻求治疗。
“我们做出这些改变不仅仅是因为它们是正确的事情，还因为它们可以拯救生命，”他说。
麦克唐纳说，这个决定是基于“我们临床医生的建议，所以这是一个卫生保健对身体健康和精神健康都有很大影响的决定。"
国家跨性别平等中心估计，目前有134，000多名跨性别退伍军人和15，000多名跨性别者在军队中服役。
麦克唐纳的声明是拜登政府为扩大对军队中变性人的保护和福利而采取的一系列措施中的最新一项。
总统先生，他上任才几天乔·拜登签署了一项行政命令，推翻了特朗普政府对跨性别军人的禁令。今年2月，麦克唐纳下令对该部门的政策进行审查，以“确保变性退伍军人和员工不会因其性别身份和表达而面临歧视。”
VA moves to offer gender confirmation surgery to vets
WILMINGTON, Del. -- The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving to offer transgenderveteransgender confirmation surgery, Secretary Denis McDonough announced at a Pride Month event in Orlando Saturday.
McDonough said in prepared remarks that the move was “the right thing to do,” and that it was part of an effort to overcome a “dark history” of discrimination against LGBTQ service members. The move is just the first step in what’s likely to be a yearslong federal rulemaking process to expand VAhealthbenefits to cover the surgery, but McDonough said the VA will use the time to “develop capacity to meet the surgical needs” of transgenderveterans.
The decision, he said, will allow “transgender vets to go through the full gender confirmation process with VA by their side.” McDonough also referenced what he said were higher rates of mental illness and suicidal thoughts among LGBTQ veterans, and a fear of discrimination that prevents those veterans from seeking care.
“We’re making these changes not only because they are the right thing to do, but because they can save lives,” he said.
McDonough said the decision was based on the “recommendation of our clinicians, so this is ahealth caredecision that has very real physical health care impacts as well as significant mental health impacts.”
The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates that there are more than 134,000 transgender veterans and over 15,000 transgender individuals serving in the military today.
McDonough’s announcement is the latest in a series of moves by the Biden administration to expand protections and benefits to transgender individuals in the military.
Just days into his term, PresidentJoe Bidensigned an executive order overturning a Trump administration ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. And in February, McDonough ordered a review of the department’s policies to “ensure that transgender Veterans and employees do not face discrimination on the basis of their gender identity and expression.”
