President Biden has officially reversed the Trump administration's transgender military ban.
The White House said Biden's order "sets the policy that all Americans who are qualified to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States should be able to serve."
"President Biden believes that gender identity should not be a bar to military service and that America's strength is found in its diversity," the White House said.
Biden's order "immediately prohibits involuntary separations, discharges, and denials of reenlistment or continuation of service on the basis of gender identity or under circumstances relating to gender identity," the White House said.
Military records affected by Trump's ban will also be immediately corrected under Biden's order.
As per NBC News, Biden's decision to reverse the order had been expected as he vowed to do it "on Day One" of his administration, and on his inauguration day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the reversal was imminent.
Last Wednesday, Psaki said that the reversal of the transgender military ban would be among the "additional executive actions" that will be taken "in the coming days and weeks."
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he supported the reversal of the ban during his Senate confirmation hearing last week.
"If you're fit and you're qualified to serve and you can maintain the standards, you should be allowed to serve, and you can expect that I will support that throughout," he said.
Biden's decision to reverse the ban has already been praised by human rights groups, NBC News reports.
"Today, those who believe in fact-based public policy and a strong, smart national defense have reason to be proud. The Biden administration has made good on its pledge to put military readiness above political expediency by restoring inclusive policy for transgender troops," said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, a nonpartisan organization that studies LGBTQ military issues. "The ban will now be replaced with a single standard for everyone that, as in the successful previous policy, will apply equally to all service members."
"President Biden's reversal of the Transgender Military Ban is a huge step towards full equality for the LGBTQ community and serves to make us stronger as a nation," Erin Uritus, the CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, an LGBTQ+ workplace equality advocacy organization, said.
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