The US Navy has granted a waiver allowing a transgender service member to serve “in their preferred gender” for the first time since the military enacted a transgender ban. “The acting Secretary of the Navy has approved a specific request for exemption related to military service by transgender persons and persons with gender dysphoria,” Navy spokeswoman Lt. Brittany Stephens told CNN. Stephens added 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.” The ban, which went into effect last year, blocks individuals who have been diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria from joining the military. The ban prohibits transgender people from joining the military and prohibits anyone currently in the military from transitioning genders, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which is the largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality in the United States.