(ETH) – The US Navy has just made history after granting a waiver allowing a transgender service member to serve “in their preferred gender” for the first time since the military enacted a transgender ban according to a report from CNN.

Navy spokeswoman Lt. Brittany Stephens recently stated: “The acting Secretary of the Navy has approved a specific request for an exemption related to military service by transgender persons and persons with gender dysphoria,”

Stephens went on to add that “this service member requested a waiver to serve in their preferred gender, to include obtaining a gender marker change in (the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) and being allowed to adhere to standards associated with their preferred gender, such as uniforms and grooming.”


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According to the official report, The GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and the National Center for Lesbian Rights said Friday that the waiver was granted to their client, a Naval officer who filed a lawsuit in March against the ban and that the anonymous Naval officer had previously served two extended tours of duty over nine years and was facing involuntary discharge because she’s transgender, according to the complaint.