Trans Discrimination with Serving in the Military/ DADT

[juliekins]

While researching the repealing of the U.S. military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, I came to learn that being trans or intersexed will prevent you from serving. If you are post-op, then you will be deemed to have medical problem called "genital abnormality disorder" and not physically fit to serve. This even holds true if you are intersexed. If you are pre-op, or found out to be be trans by rumor, then you can be discharged because you have "psychosocial/sexual disorder", and are also then mentally unfit to serve. (can you say DSM?)

Other countries including Canada and Israel allow TS & IS people to serve without incident. Somehow the U.S. phobic military believes that our "higher incidence of depression and anxiety" will disallow us from honorably serving.

How do those of you who have or are serving in the military feel about this antiquated policy? Moreover, does anyone know if DADT was repealed for gays and lesbians, will this include trans & IS people? I've not come across any info in the hetero or gay media outlets and blogs addressing this issue for our end of the GLBT community. Are we going to be left out again like the first incarnation of ENDA?

[Flan]

It's been that way for a while

https://www.susans.org/wiki/Issues_of_service_in_the_United_States_Military#Appointment.2C_Enlistment.2C_and_Induction
http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r40_501.pdf

I want to serve but the military doesn't want me.

[kaide]

I was joining the air force but because i'm TG i'm not allowed to. My recruiter told me, well you can you just have to follow the don't ask don't tell policy. Well, I'm an open person and a natural smart mouth and such so I can't keep my mouth shut . I can't help it, when someone talks bad about LGBT's I get defensive and have to say something. I'm not ashamed of who I am so why do I have to keep quiet because some person is like eww you date guys, I know we are friends but since you date guys we can't be anymore because I'm super homophobic and I'm going to get you kicked out yeah that's just stupid.

I remember reading something, it said, the day the US military fails is the day our enemies send a bunch of gay people at us, we wouldn't know what to do since its apparently a weakness to us we can't allow it.

When I was registering and such, we had to fill out a medical history, and one of it was have you ever had any surgery on your genitals, so I guess any other surgeries is fine as long as you don't have it on that area? and we even had to put our sexual orientation down.

I don't know if it will change and we allow anyone to serve, but I think even if we removed DADT and anyone can serve, it doesn't mean there won't be a bunch of homophobic people serving, and will still cause problems for people. I think we may just have more problems because now it would be easier for them to find people in the LGBT community and that could just make it harder for us.

[tekla]

Well, I'm an open person and a natural smart mouth and such so I can't keep my mouth shut

That kills most military careers in and of itself.  If they wanted you to have an opinion they would issue you one. 

[sd]

Other countries including Canada and Israel allow TS & IS people to serve without incident. Somehow the U.S. phobic military believes that our "higher incidence of depression and anxiety" will disallow us from honorably serving.

I agree and disagree here.
Yes, we have a higher incidence of depression, I sure did.
It really does stifle your personal expression, which leads to problems, but  that is due to how our military works. If we were allowed to serve openly, and even be helped, we would have a lot less problems and therefore less depression, anxiety and other personal problems. Their policies create the problem, not the people.

None of this stopped me from serving, or even being promoted early. I even managed an honorable discharge and stayed out of trouble, which many of my friends couldn't do. Had I stayed another 4 years though, I can't say that would have been the case. People were starting to talk just before I got out and I wasn't actually doing anything wrong (they were just curious, not being mean or vindictive and would not have cared I think). You don't actually have to tell, or even be asked to have problems. All it takes is suspicion, once that happens it's only going to get worse. Rumors are not easy to put to rest, especially if they are true.

[rejennyrated]

WOW!

In the Uk we have at least TWO fully postop females serving in our military without any problems that I am directly aware of. (and indeed there may be others whom I don't know) From memory they were both taken off the "front line" and given desk jobs, but both continue to serve to this day.

[juliekins]

WOW!

In the Uk we have at least TWO fully postop females serving in our military without any problems that I am directly aware of. (and indeed there may be others whom I don't know) From memory they were both taken off the "front line" and given desk jobs, but both continue to serve to this day.

I knew Brits were smart people!!

[tekla]

Yeah, but in most places the military is a national deal (in fact in a hella lot of places the military is the government) but in the US the military is headed by an elected public official, which makes it a very political deal.

[Keroppi]

WOW!

In the Uk we have at least TWO fully postop females serving in our military without any problems that I am directly aware of. (and indeed there may be others whom I don't know) From memory they were both taken off the "front line" and given desk jobs, but both continue to serve to this day.

Well, it does help that someone had sued the MoD and won when they refused to recognize her new legal gender status. Now if only there's equality between male and female in the military.

[K8]

I served in the US military for 24 years.  I suppressed my GID pretty thoroughly (sometimes better than others ).  I was effeminate but well closeted and married to a woman.  Most of the people I worked with wouldn't have cared if they knew, but I knew better than to say anything to anyone - even a military doctor.

For the most part I enjoyed my career and benefited from having served.  Now that I am retired, the military is surprisingly accepting and supportive of me being a transsexual.  Go figure.

- Kate