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Air Force Physician Shared DoD Legal Guidance on Gender-Affirming Care for Dependent Minors
Lt. Col. Josh Smalley distributed memos in March, May and July 2023 stating that U.S. military members and civilian employees should not fear legal action when providing gender-affirming care to minors. The documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, include a February 2023 memo outlining Department of Defense indemnification options.
May 6, 4:38 PM·1m read1 source
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Lt. Col. U.S. military members and civilian employees should not fear legal action when providing gender-affirming care to minors.
U.S. Air Force. It further states that upon request the Department of Defense may pay for all or part of the settlement or compromise of a claim against a Department civilian employee or Service member provided the Secretary or designee determines that certain conditions are met.
In another correspondence, Smalley referenced a 5-hour symposium/roadshow for the Buckley MTF. Military hospitals and clinics are referred to as direct care, military treatment facilities or MTFs. The latter paper was published in July 2024.
One of the papers states: “The major components of gender-affirming care include hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgery, and mental health care, if needed. During the Biden administration, the Department of Defense rolled back restrictions on transgender military personnel. Executive Order 14183 was issued by the Trump administration and cracked down on LGBT policies from the Biden era.
Lt. Col. Josh Smalley is currently a physician at the Uniformed Services University. He is an openly pro-LGBT advocate. The article was written by Francis Kapper and published on May 06, 2026 at 4:38 PM ET.
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