According to USAToday, efective July 1, transgender people will be able to serve openly in the military with no fear of discharge.  It's been almost 44 years since I completed my enlistment but I still have tears of happiness for my siblings serving now.

Wooohoo. Another step forward.

I want to see what this will do for TRICARE.


Sapere Aude

Hurray!  I was planning to come out to my reserve unit in August and then promptly retire.  Maybe I'll come out in July.  And maybe I'll even stick around.

This will hopefully put an end to this barrier for me.
I know with my army unit, I have support all throughout, learning a lot more do accept me for who I am than the opposite. I know two that voice either their own opinion negatively, or basis off their own opinion through their interpretation of the bible.

I know it won't be easy to officially just lay it on everyone, but at the same time, I need to be myself in all accounts of my life.

Kate <3
Always remember to smile your face

But can they use the barracks bathroom

I'm really happy to see this step being taken. 

Hugs, Devlyn

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on June 25, 2016, 09:19:55 PM
I'm really happy to see this step being taken. 

Hugs, Devlyn

You and me both, hon.  You and me both!

This feels like a huge step that will further normalize transgender people in the eyes of the public. I honestly didn't see this coming.

I've seen stupid transphobic twitter posts posting pictures of Cpl. Klinger from the hit TV Series MASH.

Those morons don't seem to remember that Klinger was actually a hero in the series.

(And please don't say he wasn't really trans, he was just trying to get out of serving.  I seriously doubt that a person could present as female every day for years without being a little bit trans on some level.)

Quote from: T.K.G.W. on June 25, 2016, 08:58:40 PM
But can they use the barracks bathroom

Yes, which barracks and bathroom?

It should be clear for post SRS people.
What about pre-surgery MTF living as female?
What about pre-surgery FTM living as male?

Finally lol I took too many injuries for this.

This is definitely a giant leap forward but there are a number of problems with the new policy.

The language in the policy explains that essentially you tell your command that you are transgender and you get medical services to develop a transition plan.  You can't change your gender marker and get to the standards of that gender (physical fitness, facilities, uniforms) until you "complete" your transition.  This is problematic because a) a service member who does not want to transition medically is still required to live in their assigned gender indefinitely (this is ambiguous since the policy every transgender person transitions and that the transition is primarily medical), and b) a transitioning service member is still required to live in their assigned gender even though their transition may take years and HRT may make them (in the case of MtF) unable to pass the required physical fitness test without great difficulty after only a few months (e.g. in the Army, a 27-31 year old male must do 39 push-ups in 2 mins to pass and 77 to score the max 100 points, an extraordinary number for even an extremely fit female), these scores affect promotions and failure can be a reason to be kicked out.

The physical standards could be addressed by giving the service member a medical excusal from the tests (known as a "permanent profile") that lasts until their transition is complete.

The uniform standards could be dealt with by changing the uniform and eliminating gender specific hair, makeup, etc. rules (e.g. Army males are prohibited from wearing makeup and are prohibited from wearing earrings at any time, including off-duty, their hair must be substantially shorter than a female servicemember's, etc).  The work uniforms are identical in most cases but the dress uniforms vary significantly between genders, so that will be a challenge.

Because during transition the servicemember may be non-deployable, the commander can tell you that you can't transition now, just as commanders can tell you that you can't get braces or have any other non-emergency procedure that will make one unable to deploy for an extended time.

Hopefully, the services will do a good job of implementing the guidance DoD has provided.  With the first openly gay Secretary of the Army, I have high hopes for that service.

Directive-Type Memorandum 16-005
DoD Instruction 1380.28

Unquestionably, the United States military has the best force in the World. Indisputable fact that is proven every day. High standards are a must and must be kept. I realize that this posting of mine will upset people, but it must be said.

The Department of Defense must have personnel that can and do pass these exams. This is a life and death matter for the trans individual and other members in their team. If someone can't do it they can't do it.

The DoD aka Dealers of Death have standards for a reason.

Quote from: ChasingAlice on July 20, 2016, 02:45:32 PM

The Department of Defense must have personnel that can and do pass these exams. This is a life and death matter for the trans individual and other members in their team. If someone can't do it they can't do it.

The DoD aka Dealers of Death have standards for a reason.

No one is suggesting that anyone shouldn't meet standards.  All roles in the US military are open to both men and women.  The question isn't whether Soldiers need to meet standards, it's at what point the DoD will recognize their gender such that they are permitted to use the standard appropriate to their gender.  The current rule of when transition is "complete" is convenient for the DoD but arbitrary and will cause real problems for MtF transitioning servicemembers who are forced to continue to meet male standards.

None of the other (non-physical) standards are particularly relevant in the vast majority of circumstances.

If you're suggesting there should be actually performance standards, great idea, it's been suggested for decades, it's never been successfully implemented though because such standards are usually too hard to test or too subjective.

Quote from: Ms DeeDee on July 20, 2016, 04:09:17 PM
No one is suggesting that anyone shouldn't meet standards.  All roles in the US military are open to both men and women.  The question isn't whether Soldiers need to meet standards, it's at what point the DoD will recognize their gender such that they are permitted to use the standard appropriate to their gender.  The current rule of when transition is "complete" is convenient for the DoD but arbitrary and will cause real problems for MtF transitioning servicemembers who are forced to continue to meet male standards.

None of the other (non-physical) standards are particularly relevant in the vast majority of circumstances.

If you're suggesting there should be actually performance standards, great idea, it's been suggested for decades, it's never been successfully implemented though because such standards are usually too hard to test or too subjective.

That's one of the main key factors why I'm so reluctant on returning. Upon my discharge my records were inked out so much that it's like I never existed. Like my time in Ranger School was for nothing. SMH... Sometimes I get these new policies and sometimes I just don't.

The standards will be kept.  Like last summer when the first three women made it through Ranger School.  I know that all the chairborne commandos in the country continually complained about how they were given easier standards.  No.  They made it through on their own.  And they showed exceptional fortitude by sticking it out through several recycles which , by the way, male students have always gotten too.  Does anybody really honestly believe they will lower standards for trans when they wouldn't do the same for CIS women less than a year ago?  And I do know personally what it takes to get through that course.  Some physical strength and endurance is needed of course but the majority of it is sheer unyielding mental fortitude.

Quote from: Deborah on July 26, 2016, 06:33:51 PM
The standards will be kept.  Like last summer when the first three women made it through Ranger School.  I know that all the chairborne commandos in the country continually complained about how they were given easier standards.  No.  They made it through on their own.  And they showed exceptional fortitude by sticking it out through several recycles which , by the way, male students have always gotten too.  Does anybody really honestly believe they will lower standards for trans when they wouldn't do the same for CIS women less than a year ago?  And I do know personally what it takes to get through that course.  Some physical strength and endurance is needed of course but the majority of it is sheer unyielding mental fortitude.

Sorry for the grave bump as I've not been around in awhile LOL.... The course is brutal, but it's doable - very doable like What Deborah says it requires fortitude, endurance, + stamina. But also a mind and early-on field assessment skills. There are ways to get around if you lack the others, by using your brain and working well with your teammates. The Rangers pride themselves on the first set of skills, but they're more in-line with the later if you can make cohesive decisions that will make that work easier on the rest. But even with all of those skills if you don't have an Iron-Will you won't make it out successful. The Will + Morale to do this is required by all. And even in my current state I probably can easily pass it if I truly wanted to go back to Rangers.