During the last cluster of a war we were thrown into, there were multiple people (mostly men) allowed to join who had convictions against them. Lets not even talk about all the horror that happened in past wars to people in thier own country by americans who were considered "fit to serve". those who are transgendered usually lead very healthy lives post transition if they are left the hell alone and allowed to live their lives and do their jobs. look at the research. I am all for allowing a competent person to serve our country in a way that most of us can't or won't (lgbt still was not allowed in when I came of age). At one time people of color could not advance or were treated like crap and called unfit.
I am not trashing your opinion and i thank you for placing your life on the line for this country, but I am disagreeing with not being willing to look at and fix an issue instead of just barring a group of folks (women, people of color, lgbt and yes, transgendered) from serving their country when they are fit to do so.
RE: Transgenders In The Military, A Veteran's Perspective
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Transgenders In The Military, A Veteran's Perspective
That entails the problem though...
They are not fit as denoted in the DSM V. They are pushing for the standard to be removed to allow for them to serve. People with mental health conditions are not fit for military duty. You are advocating for them to be allowed. This opens the doors for other mental health conditions, and physical conditions to closely follow. There are rules and standards at which we hold our military service member up to, and if they cannot adhere to these physical and mental standards, then they are forced out of the service.
I cannot even believe this is an issue. The US military is an instrument of war, not a social experiment....
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The dsm v is a great tool but there is a reason there are multiple issues of it. denotations change. The lgbt population was once in the dsm. They no longer are seen as having a mental disability. Women who worked outside the home were once classified as having mental problems. If a person identifies as transgendered and joins the military they should not be held as demented or deficiant. I have meet transgendered veterans and there is not a doubt in my mind that they are exactly of the mindset to fight for this country.
The issue is that instead of fixing the issue, accepting them once they transition, the focus is on a temporary diagnosis. This diagnosis falls away post transition. It is curable.
Unless you feel that all menopausal women or men with to low testosterone should be kicked out of the military, this idea of the trans community not serving does not make sense. All three of those populations may use hormones to help their conditions.
Inter-sexed individuals could also be forced out of the military. It is estimated that there are more inter-sexed people than left handed people. Should they be denied the opportunity to serve? What is happening now is such a scary and slippery slope. If my uncles were truthful the military breaks everyone down to the same level no matter where they came from what they look like so that they can built up into a unified force. Save for any true mental illness the right to serve is still theirs.
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"It is estimated that there are more inter-sexed people than left handed people."
I am not sure where you are getting your facts from, but left-handed people represent 10% of the population, while transgenders equate to 0.6% of the population.
That is a huge part of the problem. The way the media showcases the "T" portion of the LGBTQ (xyz) along with a lot of propaganda in America has people thinking that this abnormality within society is now the new "normal". If a person wants to cut off a limb to identify as an amputee, you would call that a mental illness. When a person wants to cut and mutilate their genitalia, you call that heroic.
It is more of a distraction than anything. How long does it take to recover from this surgery? How many visits to a shrink do they have to do in order to get the surgery approved? All those appointments represent lost training, and possibly missed deployment time.
This is a headache that civilians that will never serve this country are bickering over, and for what? The supposed "right" for an extreme abnormality within society to serve? Let me explain to you that the military is not a "right" in this country. They discriminate openly against fat people, disabled people, and mentally ill people. The military is not a damn social experiment...
rant off.
Sorry if I came off a little harsh, but I am passionate about this topic as it is distracting to the ones actually serving, not just to me. This subject has been ran down the back of their throats ever since Obama did what he did while in office. His attempt to turn our war apparatus into a circus side-show....
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I used the intersex example because as a nurse I have worked with patients with this condition as well as those who are lgbt, transsexual, etc. One person i knew was someone in the military. This person was born with parts from both genders and hated that but served honorably. Now that person is living a very happy life once getting the "wrong parts" removed. sorry about the vagueness but I am still responsible for patient confidentiality.
My point is that a inter-sexed person with "ambiguous genitalia" can be treated much like trans-people in that their condition is not understood. They still serve. I wish i could explain the joy I have seen in the eyes of someone when they feel that they are as they should have been. I know many productive and hardworking people who you would never guess where transsexual that you would also see as fit to serve in the military. I have also not know of one person who decides to get reassignment surgery because they are bored or want attention. I am sure there may be an example somewhere. I do feel that standing up and being comfortable with yourself is heroic by the way. I also do not feel this is the new norm. The fact that there are so many people who are not familiar with the issues of these groups is the issue. They are judged without being completely understood.
I do think about transitioning and such and the time it can take but if a person who has fully transitioned and is deemed fit for service wanted to keep this country safe would you then deny them that? What if they have served honorably and are not fat and do not have a physical disability, and then you find out? Do you point to a few pages in a book, tell them they must be ill and have to go.
I did not get to join the military. I am a civilian but I do serve my patients, a large amount of them are veterans, and I am proud to do so. I will always advocate for any patient and I will always try to help in the understanding between them and those who have objection to them.
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