*I'm going to go into some detail about my background and concerns, may be triggering*

I'm really considering joining the military, since I really don't have many other options in getting school paid for.

I have real concerns about doing this. I'm a transman, been on T for two and a half years now and I pass well. All original plumbing, no top surgery. My driver's license says male, birth certificate says female. My concerns are as listed:

-I don't want to be enlisted as female
-I really don't want to be sexually assaulted/harassed/punished
-I don't know whether I am allowed to fight on the front lines or even join, or if I need to sign up for the draft

Any information is handy, thank you!

You can enlist as male.  But since that rule is so new it's hard to be very specific.  In general, you have to have been stable and living in this gender for a year first.  You'll probably need some sort of Dr.'s letter stating that.  If you need more specifics you'll probably have to go talk to a recruiter.

Sexual assault is a crime.  Harassing people because of sex, identity, race, etc. is not tolerated.  People that violate these rules, and others, are punished.  These problems happen far less in the military than in general society because we teach and enforce an ethical standard of respect.  Nevertheless, like everywhere else morons do exist.  But they are generally dealt with harshly.  Also, since people have to live and work with each other so closely and since everyone is interdependent on everyone else for their lives, people are valued a lot more for who they are than what they are.

There is what some people on the outside would think of as harassment.  It is the constant drive to push yourself beyond what most people think of as normal human physical and mental limits, to become a superman of sorts.  But this is something that people quickly internalize.  This sums it up.

QuoteWARRIOR ETHOS

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

You can join up for any job you want.  The only limitations are with meeting physical and mental requirements.  Physically you have to be strong enough and mentally you have to score high on an aptitude test for some jobs.

What sort of job are you wanting to enlist for?

Well I'm EMT, aspiring surgeon, so I was considering medic or fallen angel, I don't know if that's just an army thing. I don't know a whole lot about the military to be frank, shame on me.

I have a whole slew of mental health issues diagnosed, do they go through those records?

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They go through it all.  But I cannot say what would and would not disqualify you or what they will or will not find.  You should talk to a recruiter.

There is every sort of medical job imaginable as the military is pretty much a self contained society.  Really "high speed" medic jobs would include Air Force Pararescue  and Army Special Forces medics.  These get highly specialized training nearly to the level of a PA.  They are also extremely difficult to qualify for.

Okay thanks so much, I do want to talk to a recruiter, I just don't know if I'm ready yet

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You have time.  From what I've read,  new accessions for transgender men & women won't start until next summer.

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What does that mean?

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Quote from: Transparenci on July 26, 2016, 06:18:08 AM
What does that mean?

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The military is still sorting it all out.  Right now they are beginning treatment and transition for people already on active duty.  Next summer they will begin taking in people that are already transitioned. 

Basically, the services will not start recruiting (accessing) transgender people until next summer.

This fact sheet might help answer some of your questions.

http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/57974abeddeef/Transgender-Implementation-Fact-Sheet.pdf

If you read the fact sheet you will see that in this, like in everything else, the military will plan it down to the minute details.  LOL

That's a good thing.

Also, most of the milestones in the schedule are listed as "not later than (xx date). So recruiting "could" start earlier if training is complete.

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And on a general note the military will conduct training with everyone to give them some basic understanding of what trans is and what it isn't.

They will be allowing transgender people to join next summer. There is a great Facebook group for people that are interested in this. If you would like to be added, feel free to PM me once you are able to and I can connect you to the admins there.

I'm not sure how the new open service policy for trans people will affect Selecive Service. Since I frequently work for the government, I had to file for a Selective Service exemption saying that I was transsexual. I'm not sure what their plan for this is, so I would hold off on registering for Selective Service unless someone here has current info on that.

As far as your concerns:

Before you join, you would need all of your identification to match if possible. So if you were born in a state that does birth certificate amendments, you would need to have that done. If that's not the case where you were born, you may just be able to tell them that. Or they may want something notarized saying as much.

You do need to have documented RLE as male. I assume a letter from the doctor that does your HRT will suffice, combined with updated documentation. AFAIK, you are not required to have any surgeries pre-enlistment, but you may be more comfortable if you do. I am considering joining after my bottom surgery is over with.

They would be getting access to all of your history - personal, education, medical, financial, etc. I can't say for sure what is disqualifying and what isn't in terms of personal history. And what may disqualify you from one branch may not disqualify you from another. I have a friend with bad credit who is having issues enlisting in the Air Force, but the Army has offered to take him if he can't get it worked out.

Sexual assault and harassment are crimes, and anyone doing those things would be punished under military law. So while I can't say that those things would definitely never happen to you, there is at least recourse if they do. As far as punishment, I'm assuming you mean punishment for being trans. If that is the case, then the above applies. If you just mean punished in general, I would read up on boot camp and military training. A lot of military team building relies on what some may view as punishment.

You could do any job you qualify for. ASVAB scores determine what you're eligible to be. The one thing you'd want to keep in mind is whether jobs are in demand or not, and how that effects your timeline for entry. If jobs aren't in demand you may not be scheduled for basic training right away.

Like Deborah said, your best bet is to speak with a recruiter for the branch you want to go into. They would be able to speak more about the specific requirements you'd need to meet prior to joining. And like I mentioned above, I'd be happy to connect you to a peer support/mentorship group on Facebook if you're interested.

Wow, I didn't realize all of the laws had changed so recently. I think it's great.
Last I checked, changing my sex on my birth certificate required some kind of surgery in my state. I would probably feel more comfortable with bottom surgery but it's not realistic right now in my life.

I'd like to join the Facebook page, FTMax, if that's possible.   


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Quote from: Transparenci on July 26, 2016, 02:04:28 PM
Wow, I didn't realize all of the laws had changed so recently. I think it's great.
Last I checked, changing my sex on my birth certificate required some kind of surgery in my state. I would probably feel more comfortable with bottom surgery but it's not realistic right now in my life.

I'd like to join the Facebook page, FTMax, if that's possible.   


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There is a Facebook button underneath my avatar. If you send me a friend request I can open up a message between you, me, and an admin for that group and they can get you added. You don't have to stay friends with me after that if you don't want to, it's just the only way I can get you connected.