The Ban Of Transgender Soldiers 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.

Is it right that Donald Trump bans Transgenders that have the capability to fight and train like everyone else? Serving for the military is a great opportunity that has been taken away from Transgenders, that deserve that opportunity, and here’s three reasons that Transgenders should be able to serve. Three reasons why Transgenders should stay in the military are they shouldn’t be kicked out and deployed out of the military despise their gender. The military will lose approximately 15,000 active troops that were doing an amazing job at serving our country. Finally, because the Donald Trump claims that the medical cost is too much, but training and getting troops up to readiness standards will cost more money.

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.

I believe that Mr. Trump will have no success on banning transgenders from the military. I can understand the concerns of the financial aspects of the transgender medical related cares for members. Woman have been fighting for quality since the 1960s, to have equal rights as men, and today they have it. Equal rights mean just that, equal rights for the both male and female. Civil Rights assures equality from the government and Trump needs to remember that. Removing transgenders from the military based on their transgender is deplorable and curl. These people have families to support. I believe the federal courts will take a case against this situation and ban Trump from doing any banning

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.

This statement left me with more of a questions than answers, and it became necessary to research the information. How does being transgender make our military forces less focused? How does being

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

Even though, the Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced new rules and policy for transgender troops serving in the military after a year of contentious debate inside the Pentagon because, some senior military leaders questioned the impact on readiness.

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 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.

But more recently, the high-profile 2010 hearings on Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the United States propelled the issue to the center of international attention. They also shed light both on the routine discrimination, violence, and hardship faced by LGBT-identified soldiers, as well as arguments for and against a ban on their

Summary: The article depicts what the Defense Department’s healthcare budget looks like and how much of the funding actually goes to transgender-related services. In the graphic, a gray rectangle represents the total budget

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