ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is taking the first step toward providing gender-confirmation surgeries through its health-care network, Secretary Denis McDonough announced at a Pride Month event in Orlando Saturday — a historic move he said is simply “the right thing to do.”
Vowing to create a “safe and caring” environment for all veterans, McDonough cited the need to overcome a “dark history” of discrimination against LGBTQ military service members. The announcement marks the start of what is expected to be a two-year process to expand the VA’s capacity to provide and cover the surgeries.
“This time will allow VA to develop capacity to meet the surgical needs that transgender veterans have called for and deserved for a long time, and I am proud to begin the process of delivering it,” McDonough told a cheering crowd.
