Army Considers Easing Rules on Trans Soldiers

[Wynternight]

Tom Vanden Brook for USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/16/trangender-troops-chelsea-manning/23504073/

"WASHINGTON — The decision to discharge transgender soldiers from the Army would be made by a top, senior civilian official under a plan outlined in a draft document obtained by USA TODAY."


Note: This is not a Manning story though she is referenced.

[suzifrommd]

I request that someone here who knows something about how the military works let the rest of us know how this is an improvement.

Seems like, "well you're transgender. Instead of your Captain, who knows you, kicking you out of the army on your posterior, now someone you don't know and never heard of makes you wait weeks or months and before administering the boot themselves.

Why is this better?

[Devlyn]

I think it's a decision better made at the top. It appears the job falls to the Honorable Debra S. Wada

http://www.asamra.army.mil/leadership.cfm#

[Wynternight]

Instead of a patchwork of people doing it at the individual commands it looks like it will go to one person now who happens to be a Democrat. The administration has certainly been more accepting of LGBT issues so I think this bodes well.

[mrs izzy]

Going to pass this along to a project reporter.

We will see what might be able to stick.

[skin]

It sounds like it will just slow down the discharge process like when DADT was dying out.  The difference is when the services started making DADT discharges go so far up the chain of command that it essentially made it unenforced, it effectively allowed open service.  If this works the same way, it will allow trans soldiers to openly identify as trans, but it probably will not allow for them to present themselves as trans - at least not mtf trans people. 

[KittyKat]

You're Company Commander is usually the highest level officer you'll deal with in most cases, he's a Captain, not even on that list. It wasn't hard for him to send paper work up to the people on that list and he may have felt obligated to. Its pretty hard to send paper work to Washington D.C, it will have to go through the Garrison Commander, who is usually a General. A General is going to be pretty pissed off receiving paperwork if it's not for a good reason, in this case they may even consider it a waste of time. Chances are that unless your Company Commander really just doesn't like you he's just going to counsel you on Army policies and never send any paper work up because he won't want to piss off the Battalion Commander (Lt. Col), who doesn't want to piss of the Brigade Commander (Colonel), who doesn't want to piss off the Garrison Commander (General).

[VikingArchangel]

I'm working on an article for the project on this topic. The Army chain of command (at least in the US), HATES having to ask permission to do anything from a civilian.

This smells like the "compromise" of some back-office shenanigans where trans folks wind up impossible to actually discharge, so we'll probably see more harassment cases (when commanders REALLY want you gone anyway) come out of the US military if this takes effect.

[Wynternight]

Topic locked for further use. Will be revisited in future.

[DragonBeer]

Military May Allow Openly Transgender Personnel

http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-may-allow-openly-transgender-personnel-1424739209

By Felicia Schwartz and Byron Tau
February 23th, 2015

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration has sent signals in recent days that it is moving toward a decision to allow transgender service members to serve openly in the U.S. military.

[suzifrommd]

New defense secretary expresses openness toward transgender troops

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/02/22/new-defense-secretary-expresses-openness-toward-transgender-troops/

By Sandhya Somashekhar February 23 at 11:15 AM

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter suggested over the weekend that being transgender should not alone preclude a person from serving.

"I don't think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them," Carter said Sunday during a question-and-answer session with troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan, according to a transcript posted on the Pentagon's Web site.

[KageNiko]

Thanks for posting the article!

However, I have to urge that people stay away from it's Comments section.

T'is sad, really.

[KageNiko]

I just got this email today-

Airmen of the United States Air Force:



There is no other country in the world so widely diverse, yet so deeply committed to being unified, as the United States of America.  The challenges we face today are far too serious, and the implications of failure far too great, for our Air Force to do less than fully, and inclusively, leverage our Nation's greatest strength:  its remarkably diverse people.  Across the force, diversity of background, experience, demographics, perspective, thought and even organization are essential to our ultimate success in an increasingly competitive and dynamic global environment.  As airpower advocates, we must be culturally competent and operationally relevant to effectively accomplish our various missions.



As Airmen, whether military or civilian, we must continue to build and maintain our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the associated promise of enhanced mission performance.  These concepts infuse innovation and forward thinking into our culture and mission areas and resonate within our Service's core values demonstrating that integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do are part of our character.



In order to fully maximize our Nation's extraordinary diversity, our Air Force's focus will be inclusive and comprehensive.  We must recognize and appreciate the value of having diversity in each organization.  Fostering inclusion ensures an environment that capitalizes on the strengths of every individual and removes any artificial barriers to an Airman's opportunity to achieve his or her maximum potential.  Our foundation will be a reaffirmation of our dedication to leadership's role because diversity and inclusion are not programs or initiatives; they are national security imperatives and critical force multipliers.  Our Service's strategic readiness and geopolitical significance depend on our ability to effectively utilize all of our strengths.



In the coming months, we will assess current Air Force initiatives used to attract, recruit, develop and retain our Airmen.  We will capitalize on best practices both inside and outside the Air Force.  As your Service leadership, we will lead the way.



This approach is necessary because our increasingly diverse citizenry places a special trust in us and we must keep that trust by ensuring our Air Force is representative of the best of the populace from which we draw our considerable strength.  We are the product of our talents, not the sum, and it is our responsibility to create an environment that best supports and projects our Service's collective and inclusive excellence.  You have our word on the Air Force commitment to diversity and inclusion and the maximizing of their benefits on behalf of our Service and Nation.



We must be an Air Force powered by talented Airmen reflecting the best of the Nation we serve.  We will continue to nurture and lead this effort from the front and we expect our leaders and Airmen at all levels to do the same.









Deborah Lee James

Secretary of the Air Force





Mark A. Welsh III

General, USAF

Chief of Staff





James A. Cody

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

[Wynternight]

Locking this topic for review for future use.