Ban on trans military healthcare fails in close vote

The GOP-led House has narrowly rejected a measure that would have forbid the Pentagon from paying for gender transition surgeries and hormone therapy.

Lawmakers voted 214-209 against Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler's amendment to the annual defense policy bill.

Democrats criticized the proposal as bigoted, unconstitutional and cowardly.

Her proposal would have prohibited defense dollars from being spent by the military's health care system for medical treatment related to gender transition.

Hartzler cast her proposal as a good government plan aimed at assuring money is spent only on critical national defense needs.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called the amendment an attack on the health and dignity of thousands of U.S. service members.

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said Hartzler intended to "politically denigrate" transgender troops.

Copyright 2017 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

The Gayly – July 13, 2017 @ 5:06 p.m.