LGBTQ expert: DOD transgender ban reversal critical in light of HB2, similar laws

Wake Forest University LGBTQ Center Director Angela Mazaris is available to comment on reports that the Department of Defense will reverse its ban on transgender service members in July.

“As institutions across the country grapple with how to implement equitable policies on the basis of sex and gender, it is timely and appropriate for the Department of Defense to examine this question as well. The Department of Justice has affirmed through statements on Title IX and Title VII that transgender people should be treated in accordance with their gender identity, regardless of the sex they were assigned at birth. It is incumbent upon our federal institutions, including the Armed Services, to create policies that allow transgender people to participate equally in all facets of society,” Mazaris said.

Mazaris is the founding director of the LGBTQ Center at Wake Forest University, where she also teaches in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. As LGBTQ Center Director, she provides education, advocacy, and support to the campus community around issues of gender identity and sexual orientation.

She has provided expert commentary for Fox News, Charlotte Observer and many other news outlets since HB2 was passed in March.

Read more about Wake Forest’s myriad efforts to underscore inclusive values in light of HB2.