Transgender military members can re-enlist and continue to serve while the Defense Department puts together a plan to implement President Donald Trump's transgender ban, Military Times reported Friday.
The determination comes after Secretary of Defense James Mattis put his deputy secretary, Patrick Shanahan, and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Paul Selva, in charge of the plan — with orders to submit it to the White House by a Feb. 21 deadline, the outlet reported.
"Current transgender members will continue to serve throughout the military and continue to receive necessary medical treatment as prescribed by their medical provider," Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said.
"Transgender services members whose term of service expires while the interim guidance is in effect may at the service member's request, re-enlist under existing procedures."
Much of the debate over transgender military members has centered around medical costs and operational readiness, Military Times noted.
A Rand study conducted under the Obama administration in 2016 found the costs to be low, and that 18 countries already have transgender service members with few reported impacts on readiness.
The ACLU has already launched a legal challenge of the ban, arguing it violates the constitutional rights of transgender individuals by singling them out for unequal and discriminatory treatment.
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