MTV has reportedly invited transgender members of the US military to attend this weekend’s Video Music Awards in Inglewood, California.
Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Haverstick told CNN 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.
MTV President Christopher McCarthy has spoken out in support of transgender service people who were recently told by Donald Trump that they would no longer be accepted into the armed forces.
"MTV has invited transgender members of the US armed forces to the 2017 Video Music Awards and we would be honoured if they could attend," said Christopher 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 ceremony this Sunday will feature performances from Kendrick Lamar, Miley Cyrus and Lorde and will be the first time that gendered awards have been scrapped—following suit from the MTV Movie Awards earlier this year.
Ariana Grande, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar and the Weeknd are among the nominees for ‘Artist of the Year’ which was previously split into male and female categories.
It will also be the first time that VMA winners will receive a ‘Moon person’ statuette instead of a ‘Moon man’.
"It could be a man, it could be a woman, it could be transgender, it could be non-comformist.”
