The Pentagon can easily drop its ban on transgender troops, study finds

[skin]

Dan Lamothe, Washington Post
August 25, 2014

The Defense Department repealed its controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gay people from openly serving in the military three years ago in September. Some senior officers questioned the decision, fearing it could cost lives, but Pentagon officials said the repeal has not hurt military readiness or cohesion.

Civil rights advocates, including some retired military officers, are now pressing for another change. The armed forces continue to enforce a ban on transgender military service, months after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in May that he was open to a review that would lift it.

The results of a forthcoming study, which was provided to Checkpoint, found that a repeal on transgender service could be lifted in a way that would not be burdensome or exceedingly complex for the military. The Palm Center, a think tank in San Francisco that promotes the study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the military, says that there already are 15,500 transgender personnel in the U.S. military, but they are not allowed to serve openly.

The center reached that figure by extrapolation based on surveys conducted with veterans, said retired Army Maj. Gen. Gale S. Pollock, a former deputy surgeon general of the Army, who helped lead the Palm Center commission examining the issue. The commission included several other retired military officers, including Army Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender, who once led the Army's nurse corps, and Army Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Kolditz, who is now a professor at Yale University.

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/08/25/the-pentagon-can-easily-drop-its-ban-on-transgender-troops-study-finds/

[Eevee]

I really hope they do make the change. I was in the military during the original dadt rule and it kept me from being open about my bisexuality. It was repealed just before I left the service, but I still couldn't talk about my gender dysphoria. This helped delay me coming to terms with myself even more than I already was. I also would have been a much better troop if I was more at peace with myself, since my depression issues wouldn't have gotten in the way. Just judging from my own experience, it would help everyone tremendously if they just let people be themselves entirely and still keep their military jobs. Here's hoping they make the right choice here.