MCPON: If ruled fit for duty, transgender people should be able to serve -- still think it won't happen soon?

Excerpt from Navy Times article:

If transgender volunteers are deemed fit for duty by the Pentagon, the Navy should provide opportunities for them to serve and be successful, the service's top enlisted sailor said Tuesday.

Asked whether he thought transgender recruits who have completed their gender transitions should be allowed to serve, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens told Navy Times he believes that if they meet the Navy's standards, they should be allowed to serve.

"So, I was a recruiter at one time. The Navy sets the guidelines for [who] we can allow to join the Navy," he said. "So if they're physically, mentally and morally qualified, anybody who meets those criteria has an opportunity to serve their country."

The Defense Department currently bans service for transgender people, but Defense Secretary Ash Carter recently signaled he would be open to lifting the ban.

In an interview, Stevens did not say whether he would support lifting the ban, but emphasized that if DoD decides to allow transgender people to serve, then it's the job of the MCPON and all the Navy's leaders not to judge people, but to ensure they can have a successful career.

"My philosophy has always been this, that as a leader, I have a duty and responsibility to provide an opportunity where every sailor can be successful — and that we're going to do that while treating one another with dignity and respect," he said.

http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/pentagon/2015/03/12/mcpon-mike-stevens-transgender-sailors-vcno-howard/24713285/

Still think onpen trans military service won't happen sooner rather than later?