MATTIS: TRANSGENDER TROOPS CAN STILL SERVE

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced late Tuesday that transgender troops will be allowed to serve in the military, pending the results of a study by experts.

The announcement follows tweets and an order from President Trump that indicated transgender service members no longer had a place in the military, effectively reversing an Obama administration policy. The order affects the Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Coast Guard.

Mattis’ move buys time for the Pentagon to determine whether and how it would allow thousands of transgender troops to serve, whether they would receive medical treatment or how they would be discharged.