MTV has invited transgender servicemembers to this year’s VMAs hosted by Katy Perry, and the military is considering whether to grant the request.
MTV also announced earlier this year that they were officially changing the name of the VMA award to “Moonperson” from “Moonman”.
Said MTV President Chris McCarthy of the change: “Why should it be a man? It could be a man, it could be a woman, it could be transgender, it could be nonconformist.”
Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Haverstick told CNN Wednesday that “MTV has requested service member participation for this year’s VMAs.”
“At this time the Department of Defense is reviewing the parameters of the request,” Haverstick said.
Active duty military members face restrictions in participating in high-profile national public events, particularly those with a political bent.
“MTV has invited transgender members of the US armed forces to the 2017 Video Music Awards and we would be honored if they could attend,” said Chris McCarthy, president of MTV. “Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stands for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere.”
The Trump administration this week issued a memo outlining guidelines for the trans military ban to Defense Department officials. The memo “orders the military to encourage transgender service members to retire early, not rehire enlisted transgender personnel as soon as their contracts expire, fire transgender officers who are up for promotion, and decline to take on new transgender enlisted personnel or officers” according to Towleroad’s Ari Ezra Waldman, who notes in a new column this morning that the ban is unconstitutional.
