New Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday that transgender people shouldn't be prevented from serving in the U.S. military solely based on their gender identity, noting it should not "preclude" them from service.
Carter made the comments at a town-hall event in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in response to a question from Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, a doctor, about transgender soldiers serving in an "austere environment" like the one in Kandahar.
