Palm Center Statement on American Medical Association Letter of Criticism to Defense Secretary Mattis

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – April 4, 2018 Palm Center Director Aaron Belkin released the following statement in response to today's American Medical Association letter disputing the rationale for President Trump's transgender ban.

"Today's AMA statement that 'there is no medically valid reason to exclude transgender individuals from military service' underscores the expert consensus that transition-related care is reliable, safe and effective. Unfortunately, as the AMA points out, the Trump administration has 'mischaracterized and rejected the wide body of peer-reviewed research on the effectiveness of transgender medical care.' The rationale for the transgender ban has now been repudiated by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and two former U.S. Surgeons General. The administration tried to reverse-engineer a rationale for the ban, but the President and the Defense Department are on the wrong side of science."

About The Palm Center

The Palm Center is an independent research institute committed to sponsoring state-of-the-art scholarship to enhance the quality of public dialogue about critical and controversial issues of the day. Our research has been published in leading social science journals and extensively consulted and cited by US military leaders. The Palm Center seeks to be a resource for scholars, policymakers, journalists, opinion leaders, students and the public at large. For more information, visit us at www.palmcenter.org.