Implementation

        So far, non-binary servicemembers have been able to express themselves outside of the military’s strict binary policies in select situations when they have an ETP, or exception to policy. ETPs, also called waivers, provide servicemembers with the opportunity to petition their chain of command to be allowed an exception to standard military policy. In most publicized cases, these waivers are related to grooming policy for religious or medical accommodations. Soldiers can request religious accommodations to wear beards, turbans, hijabs, or grow longer hair and can request medical accommodations as well. These ETPs are taken on a case-by-case basis and are granted through an individual’s chain of command, in some cases going up to Brigade-level commanders or to the Secretary level. [5] As one can imagine, navigating this bureaucratic process is notoriously difficult and time-consuming. Additionally, each branch of the military adheres to different standards, so an ETP granted to an airman might not be granted to a marine. The servicemember requesting an ETP has to go above and beyond to demonstrate their reasoning, and requests can be easily kicked back to the beginning of the process for minor problems like formatting errors. Religious ETPs are one of the most institutionally accepted; the DoD Instruction 1300.17 “Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Service” describes the guidelines for which an accommodation will be accepted. And in the case of medical waivers, often relating to medical conditions as a result of excessive facial shaving, grooming standards specifically note the cases by which soldiers could grow a beard (if they are medically exempt from beard grooming standards as a result of Pseudofolliculitis and/or Acne Keloidalis Nuchae), providing soldiers with a clear pathway to receiving an ETP for that accommodation.