Homosexuals In The Military

June 30th 2016, Rizzo & Cohen, (2016) with CNN wrote a piece on Defense Secertary Ash Carters’ decision to allow transgender individual to enlist, commission, and sereve openly in the U.S. Military. This order also allows hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery if medically reccomended. It is estimated that there are 15,000 transgender individuals currently serving in the U.S. military, according to a recent study by the Williams Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles Law School. The policy also states that any transgender joining the forces must have 18 months of stability in their new gender.

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.

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.

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

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.

Lately, there has been an outbreak of people of the LGBT community coming out in the military. Historically the United States has had a policy of discharging gays in the military. There has been an act called the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, it is basically saying that as long as somebody does not ask about your gender preferences, you do not have to tell. Even though the ban has been lifted, many militaries still say they cannot accept anyone from the LGBT inside. They do not care about how well you can perform or your strengths and that mindset is going to come back and hit them in the long run. Militaries that are judging these kids are taking them away from somewhere they feel safe and a place where they can finally belong. Members of the LGBT community find refuge in the military. It was one of the only places where they can prove their worth, where people aren’t focusing on their sexuality. They shouldn’t be judged based on their sexual preferences. Instead, they should be judged on their personality, performance, and their ability to get the job done precisely and correctly.

The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is a major policy of the armed forces of the United States, and allows a number of people to serve their country. This policy restricts the United States armed forces from discovering gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy has, in a way, limited homosexuals from completely fulfilling their military duties by forcing them to serve in the military silent about their personal lives. The policy is a violation of equal rights, forces homosexuals to violate the military code of honor, and causes disputes among fellow soldiers and should be repealed.

How the Military is classifying Transgender and the process to undergo for a Transgender to change the service member’s gender.

This new restriction that the President of the United States (Donald J Trump), which would not allow Transgenders to serve in the military. This new order or restriction is tremendously discriminatory with the fact that we are being threatened. In my opinion is a big mistake now with the threat of North Korea on America’s shoulders, we need more soldiers to serve or at least volunteer for this country. Quoting Trump’s tweet “...will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US

Just because someone may feel happy with being with someone of the same sex should not deprive them from being in the military. These people are just as capable as the next man or woman. There were and still are people in the military that were already transgender and they were still performing the same way any regular person would. But because they did not know that they were transgender they still did not judge them. “For many in the military, the concern about transgender soldiers has long been about unit cohesion and fighting readiness - the deep trust and close cooperation essential for every small unit, who must work and potentially fight shoulder to shoulder in the trenches. And transgender soldiers could upset this cohesiveness, critics say” (Bruinius 10). Before many of these people knew about the transgender soldiers they trusted them with their whole heart, so what is so different about them now that you find out they are of the opposite sex? Their ability to do has not changed at all, the only thing that’s different is the structure of their body. Their mindset was always the same, their heart, their love for their country is still there, it will always be. So why should someone be discriminated for being gay or a transgender. These people are not just being judged based on who they are, they are

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.

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,

Many individuals were highly gracious at this idea, no matter the negativity that surrounds this topic. When referencing to the article by the New York Times on Ashton Carter’s announcement, he states “Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so. After all, our all-volunteer force is built upon having the most qualified Americans” (Rosenberg, 2016). The article’s point of view perceives an appreciative tone towards the U.S. military members and how much they sacrifice. For their sacrifices, the government is willing to help formulate policies that can open doors to a new tolerance and acceptance towards sexual identity. Through my discovery of this change in policy, I realized how much this will help not only the individuals who are suffering from this condition but it will help the companionship of the military. I struggle with being completely open with my fellow service members because of the tension there was on the topic of sexual identity. After hearing the statements made by both the Secretary of Defense and the Defense Secretary, I felt like I am part of a whole different world now that there is an understanding of the struggles and tolls taken to maintain personal happiness in such a demanding career. Having higher authorities who are able to implement policies amongst the U.S. government who have vital points of views on this controversial