Gay Rights In The Military

First, Transgender military troops should serve in the military, because any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should have the right to serve in the military. They got rid of Transgenders in the military, because they don’t want to pay for medical bills when a lot of the Transgenders that serve in the military have already had their surgeries done. For example, There is no reason to force service members who can fight, train, and deploy to leave the military — regardless of their gender identity. If they can do exactly what everyone else can do, they don’t have the right to ban them from serving our country, despise their gender. According to Ada Edelman, “No American, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, should be prohibited from honor + privilege of serving our nation #LGBT,’ tweeted Rep.” In addition, The Department of Defense found that health care funds will remain broadly unaffected by allowing Transgender people to serve while health care cost raise will likely be no more than one-tenth of 1 percent. The financial cost of health care for Transgender individuals should not be used as an excuse to deny patriotic Americans an opportunity to serve their country. Overall, Transgender troops should serve in the military if they are capable and are medically stable to.

The issue of gays in the military has been controversial in the United States for many decades. Over these decades there have been many different proposals as to what approach to take in order to handle the situation of homosexuals in the military. However, in 1992 when Bill Clinton was running for President of the United States, he made a promise to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military if he was elected (Washington Post). Bill Clinton followed through with his promise, and in December 1993 he instituted “a defense directive that military applicants should not to be asked about their sexual orientation” (Washington Post). This is now known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was the result

Every day, there are American citizens who risk their lives for the sake of their country's safety. Men and women who believe that justice, peace, and equality should be served. However, within their beliefs, some choose to exclude transgender individuals who have the same rights and freedoms. The American society considers the world to be progressively changing and growing, however, seem to forget that in order for the military to survive the 21st century, diversity is crucial. Although the medical costs may raise the overall healthcare median per year, transgender individuals should have the right to serve in the U.S. armed forces because any human being who meets the physical qualifications and has a willing attitude should have the right to serve.

Transgendered persons can potentially lose their position in the military. Although other political leaders disagree with president’s trumps proposal. I disagree with the proposed actions that transgenders should be banned from the military, based on material and nonmaterial components. The terms Heterosexism, cultural relativism, feminist and standpoint theory will be used to support my decision.

In the essay “Why gays shouldn’t serve” by David Horowitz he states that “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy is a way of containing the destructive force of sex on a combat capability called Unit Cohesion. (354)” This controversial topic has surfaced more and more recently because Barack Obama wanted to let all people serve in the military, regardless of their sexual orientation. “More than 1,000 retired flag and general officers have joined us in signing an open letter to President Obama and Congress, repeal of this law would prompt many dedicated people to leave the military (James J. Lindsay).” There are multiple points you could focus on when trying to explain your point on why gays or lesbians should not serve in the military. The first

Banning transgenders from serving in the military contradicts civil liberties. The government would be in violation of that law because it protects the rights of citizens. The U.S. Constitution does state in the first 10 amendments, which is the Bill of rights was designed to protect the citizen’s rights and freedom. Transgenders is a choice, a person’s choice, much like religion. The government has no authority to intervene on a personal free choice as free citizen. Banning transgenders from serving in the military is considered a form of discrimination and violates the Bill of Rights. Power is limited on the government and denies the right to interfere with a citizen’s personal choices.

According to the opposing group, the presence of LGBT people in the military undermines the trust among soldiers and can reduce the overall effectiveness of the military. While they think all who want to serve the military should, they also think not all of them are able to. One says there are certain qualifications and expectations in the military and if you are transitioning or

Another problem with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is that, if discovered, homosexuals will be discharged from the military. The discharge of a homosexual from the military, based on his personal life, is a violation of equal rights. Every human is different, but none should be judged separately based upon who they are. “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; that if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else” (Obama 1). This statement shows that the nation does know about equal rights and is pushing for equal rights; therefore, “don’t ask, don’t tell” needs to be repealed for the integrity of our nation.

Not surprisingly, there are no enumerated protections for LGBT people within the Constitution, and instead, there is a clause that specifically states that Congress may organize the military as they see fit - everything is to their discretion, according to Article 1, section 8, clause 16 of the US constitution:

Why exactly should we allow the LGBT community to serve openly in the military? There are many reasons that can, in the long run affect us as a society. Why should we care about other people and the gender that they choose to be? When we are at war and fighting for our country would that really matter ! These very reasons and many more are what steer the LGBT community away from the military. The LGBT community should be able to serve openly in the military because gender identity has nothing to do with physical ability, the ban is an act of discrimination, and the American Constitution proposes a society based in inclusion not exclusion.

In 2016, former president, Barack Obama lifted the ban of transgenders being in the military. Now the question comes up, should transgender be allowed in the military? This is a very “touchy” topic as when discussed in verbal debates, situations can become pretty heated. Recently, current president, Donald Trump reversed the decision and put the ban back on as he made the announcement on Twitter saying, the military does not need to be “burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgenders in the military would entail.” (Caceres). Several members of the military have voiced their opinions on why they think transgenders should be allowed in with no problem.

The Don’t Ask Don’t tell act which prevented openly gay and lesbians from serving in the United States Armed forces was placed into law on December 21st, 1993. It states that the military cannot discriminate against any gay, lesbian or bisexual person as long as they are discreet about their sexuality. They believed that any persons showing or acting in homosexual behavior would go against strict military moral codes and policy. However on September 20th, 2011 the Don’t ask Don’t Tell was repealed because the government felt it was discriminatory against homosexuals. I agree that openly gay and lesbians should able to serve in the military because nobody should have to hide who they are in order to serve and

The military excludes Transgender individuals from serving because, according to Kayla Quam, “In order to join the military, individuals need to meet the physical and psychological standards listed in the Department of Defense’s Medical Standard for Appointment, Enlistment, or Introduction in the Military Services (‘DoDI 613.03’)” (721). Because of physical and mental exams many transgender individuals choose to keep their abnormalities a secret, forcing them to live a double life. Many are disqualified because of mental and false health issues. For example, “Transgender [people] who have undergone sex-reassignment surgery are disqualified under a medical regulation during the physical exam,” and Transgender individuals who have not undergone “sex-reassignment surgery but identify as transgender are disqualified under the psychological examination” (Ross 190). The military deems Transgender individuals as unfit to serve, but approximately 15,500 transgender individuals are serving in the military and there are 134,200 transgender veterans (Gate and Herman 1). Proving that transgender individuals have served in the military successfully, playing against all odds the military is in fact wrong to classify transgender individuals as unfit to serve.

In 1999, more than 1,000 men and women were discharged from military service due to their sexuality. That number has actually decreased compared to recent years. (Suro NP) Homosexuals were purged from federal employment in 1950, with Bill Clinton updating that policy in 1993 by adding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy. (Deicher 176) This policy doesn’t work and needs to either be updated again or the ban against homosexuals lifted. Gays should be allowed to fight for the military for employment reasons, the right to fight for one’s country, and because they are no different from anyone else. The fact of the matter is that not even experts can argue in favor of keeping the

Gay people have not always been barred from military service, and in fact, have served in the nation's wars throughout its history. The military's official stance toward gays and lesbians has evolved over time, often in tandem with social change. In the 1920's and 1930's, homosexuality was treated as a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment. That attitude began to change in the early 1940's,