House Democrats Call for the Removal of Anti-LGBTQ Provisions in Annual Defense Bill

More than 150 House Democrats are calling for the removal of provisions in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that target LGBTQ rights, arguing in a letter sent Thursday to House and Senate Armed Services Committee leadership that such measures “threaten the recruitment, retention, and readiness of our Armed Forces.”

At least four measures embedded in the annual defense policy bill by hard-line conservatives threaten to roll back the rights of LGBTQ service members and dependents, Democrats and LGBTQ civil rights groups have argued. The bill, which narrowly passed the House in July, would prevent the Department of Defense from displaying LGBTQ Pride flags and funding drag shows, transgender health care and certain schoolbooks.

“These sections of the House-passed NDAA were constructed to score political points rather than support and invest in our most important operational advantage: our service members,” Democrats wrote in Thursday’s letterEditSign, led by Congressional Equality Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Reps. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), co-chairwomen of the Transgender Equality Taskforce.

Read the source article at The Hill