As your constituent and a supporter of LGBTQ+ equality, I am writing to express my disappointment and outrage regarding your vote for the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation, as it stands, includes a provision that will take away life-saving, medically necessary health care from the transgender children of military families.
This cruel provision was added at the eleventh hour by anti-LGBTQ+ extremists who are playing politics with the health care of children of servicemembers. By voting in favor of the bill, you have allowed the normally bipartisan NDAA to be hijacked. Whether or not you support this provision, the impact of your vote is devastating: some transgender youth will lose access to the medically necessary care they need to thrive. Moreover, this vote effectively denies military families the ability to make critical health care decisions for their children. There are no words to express the sense of betrayal felt by many in our community.
Do you truly believe the United States will be stronger or safer if parents of transgender children are forced to leave the military because they cannot access appropriate care? Gender-affirming care is vital, and for years, it has been covered under TriCare for those who serve our country. Denying this care undermines military readiness and creates unnecessary hardships for servicemembers and their families.
Since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act, we have made significant progress toward equality. Yet this legislation threatens to undo decades of bipartisan work. This will be the first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law in nearly 30 years, eroding trust in leadership to uphold the rights of all constituents.
As your constituent and someone who values equality and fairness, I urge you to restore confidence in your leadership. Please intervene now by asking President Biden to veto this legislation. Send it back to Congress, and let it pass without this discriminatory provision.
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