LGBTQ+, Military Senator Durbin Statement on Lifting of Ban on Transgender People Serving in U.S. Military by Press on June 30, 2016 Press Author More in LGBTQ+: Heteronormativity: Grappling with Straight Privilege March 24, 2026 Christianity has long revered saints who would be called ‘transgender’ today May 28, 2025 Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame Announces 2024 Inductees August 1, 2024 CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)–June 30, 2016. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced the lifting of the ban on transgender individuals serving openly in the United States military: