Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Doesn't End All Discrimination in the Military

[Shana A]

Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Doesn't End All Discrimination in the Military
by Cristian Asher January 04, 2011 06:26 AM

http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/repealing_dont_ask_dont_tell_doesnt_end_all_discrimination_in_the_military

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is dead. Shout it from the rooftops, dance in the streets, and marvel at the prospect of gays, lesbians and bisexuals finally being able to serve our country openly and without shame someday very soon.

And when you've finished celebrating, come back in and roll up your sleeves, because there's another group still suffering discrimination in the military, and their situation may be much more complicated and difficult to resolve than the question of gays and lesbians.

The group in question? Transgender soldiers. The military still practices extreme prejudice against transgender people, and considers any expression of non-normative gender behavior — anything, in other words, from cross-dressing to complete sex reassignment — to be evidence of a sickness. Even if you dress up in drag on your own time, off-base, if the military finds out about it, you can expect to be discharged.