Quote from: christopher on May 17, 2014, 09:01:53 AM
I'm glad you are being true to yourself and feeling free.
Did you all know it was in the news a few days ago that the U.S. military has said it's open to reviewing it's ban on transgender folks?
Yes they will do a background check and yes, it'll be found out you were born male. The government is exceedingly efficient at few things, among them is background checks which are now standard operating procedure thanks to incidents like the massacre on the Army Base in Texas (Hasan) and the Navy Yard Shooting. It doesn't matter if you are cooking food or fixing ICBM's, you are getting a background check. In that process they will talk with basically everyone you've known at any significant level to include teachers, parents, siblings, other relatives, friends, pastors/priests, counselors, the whole nine yards.
And no, they won't be able to hide behind patient privilege as you must sign a release form basically invalidating it.
I agree with the sentiment that transfolks should be able to serve, I did honorably without a single NJP, court martial, or even as much as showing up late for work--I was late 3 times, all three weather related--for 14 years as trans (obviously not full time, but you get the idea). Unfortunately a few bad apples like Chelsea Manning have left a really bad taste in the Brass's mouth.
I sincerely hope they review and reverse their policy on transfolks serving, many transfolks are healthy, able-bodied souls who have skills absolutely needed by the military. There are transwomen and men who are engineers, physicists, aeronautical engineers, civil engineers, lawyers, doctors, surgeons, dentists, nurses, etc.
You tell me a military that doesn't need that and I'll say you don't have a modern war-fighting machine.
If they reverse their policy I will most certainly will go back in. But I refuse to live a lie and I refuse to serve a military that in no way supports who and what I am.
And thank you for your support everyone, it helped tremendously.
-AM
