FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2015 Col. Peter Cross (916) 854-3304
Release 7-1
Adjutant General Issues Statement On Pentagon’s Transgender Policy SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Major General David S. Baldwin, Adjutant General for California, issued the following statement in support today for the Pentagon’s announcement Monday that it would conduct a six- month study aimed at ending the ban against transgender persons openly serving in the U.S. Armed Forces:
“Gender identity should have no bearing on an individual’s ability to serve California and the nation. In California we have allowed transgender individuals to serve openly in our State Military Reserve for some time, without adverse impact to military capability and readiness. We look forward to implementing any new policy that would allow transgender members to serve in combat roles.”
At Maj. Gen. Baldwin’s direction, the California State Military Reserve, the state-sanctioned volunteer force that supports the state’s National Guard, began welcoming transgender members into its ranks in 2014. The Cal Guard was also at the forefront of the Armed Forces in reaching out to the state’s LGBT community in September 2011 immediately following the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the policy that prohibited gay service members from openly serving in uniform. In addition to establishing a recruiting presence at all the state’s major Pride events, Maj. Gen. Baldwin joined then-State Assembly Speaker John Pérez at the 2013 L.A. Pride Parade, encouraging qualified members of the gay community to consider enlisting with the Cal Guard.
For more information on the Cal Guard’s support of transgender service in the Armed Forces, please contact Col. Peter Cross, public affairs officer, at (916) 854-3304. -30-
