Transgender People in the Military
So, after hearing opinions about transgender folks being associated with the military, and digesting the many different views about the matter, I thought that I would throw in my two cents.
First, I couldn’t give a damn what race or ethnicity you are, or which gender that you associate yourself as. Anybody that voluntarily joins the military, regardless of whatever socioeconomic status that they’re a part of, gets a tip of the hat from me. A lot of people join because of friends or family members once being a part of the military, and the need to follow in their footsteps. Others join because they feel a strong sense of self, and the willingness to protect our country and the freedoms that we all enjoy. When I made the decision to join the military, it was because of my family members, and the . I also wanted to explore different areas of the world, and gain real-life experience in the field that I ultimately wanted to end up in, which is law. I was a Navy MA (military police officer). Unfortunately, due to a medical issue, my military career was ended early. Although my stint was brief, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to many different things that others normally wouldn’t. I never regretted my decision to join.
Onward to the ‘steak and potatoes’ of this thing...
Transgender folks have been serving in the military for a little while now, and I have no issues with that at all. In modern times, though, I believe that it would be a logistical and financial issue for the Department of Defense. Assuming that one has just started the process of transitioning from female to male, or vice versa, they wouldn’t be able to get the PROPER medical services that they need (HRT, gender reassignment surgery, and the like) while they’re going through boot camp, job training school, and out on a deployment (especially front line or infantry work), which can easily last over a year. It would cause more harm to the individual, which nobody wants. Also, the DoD would have to consider many other different things, like different quarters. For example, at RTC (Recruit Training Command, the US Navy’s boot camp) in Great Lakes, IL, there are numerous buildings for fresh recruits to be housed in, according to their gender. I think that because of the backlash that the DoD would get in regard to transgender folks, the accommodations with either males or females, and whether they completed the transitioning process or not, it would result in completely separate divisions (boot camp training groups), furthering the segregation that already exists in the military.
I think that if one would want to join the military as another gender and go through the transitioning process while they’re in, they should wait until they’re out. That way, they can fully focus on who they would like to become.
I’m definitely open for discussions about this topic, as well as any other topics that I post on this page. Feel free to reblog, as well.
