Trump signs partial transgender military ban

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ASPartOfMe
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24 Mar 2018, 3:59 pm

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43525549

Quote:

President Trump has signed a memorandum that bans some transgender people from US military service but rolls back the blanket ban he ordered last year.

The new directive adopts recommendations from Defence Secretary Jim Mattis that "transgender persons who require or have undergone gender transition" cannot serve.

But it gives the Pentagon and other agencies some discretion in the matter.

The earlier blanket ban was blocked by federal judges.

The new memorandum says that transgender individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are barred from military service "except under certain limited circumstances".

The Department of Defence (DoD) had submitted a report to the president which said allowing those with a history of gender dysphoria to serve entailed "substantial risks" and could, by exempting them from existing physical, mental and sex-based standards, "undermine readiness... and impose an unreasonable burden on the military".

It said the Obama administration's decision to allow transgender individuals to serve in the military was largely based on a 2016 study by the Rand think-tank, which "contained significant shortcomings".

The report found that allowing transgender people to serve openly would have a minimal impact on force readiness and healthcare costs.

The new policy approved by President Trump allows current transgender service members with gender dysphoria to continue serving if they were diagnosed after the Obama administration's policy took effect.

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Chronos
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24 Mar 2018, 4:19 pm

ASPartOfMe wrote:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43525549

Quote:

There is no problem allowing transgender people in to serve provided they do not then seek to transition but allowing transexuals to join presents issues for the following reason.

Transexuals generally are on hormones. Male to female transexuals, if they have not had their testicles removed, are typically on testosterone blockers and may be on estrogen. Female to male transexuals need to be on testosterone to have male level strength, and many female to male transexuals are too small and weak even on testosterone to meet male military physical requirements. Adults without gonads need to be on estrogen or testosterone to prevent osteoporosis. So transexual individuals are largely dependant on taking exogenous hormones. An abrupt cessation of these hormones can cause performance impacting withdrawl.

The military seeks to limit the number of personnel who require medical treatment and they do this by preventing them from joining or, if they are already in the military, sometimes they issue a medical discharge. Occasionally they will allow the person to remain.

If the military is going to let exogenous hormone dependant trasnsexuals in, then they would not have a basis to keep other medication individuals out, such as people with thyroid problems, diabetics, people on medication for hypertension, and so on, and this would become costly.

kraftiekortie
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24 Mar 2018, 4:23 pm

As long as they can serve in whatever capacity they are serving in the armed forces, I don't see anything wrong, especially, with post-op transsexuals serving. Post-op transsexuals have gone through the inevitable problems which are part and parcel of transitioning. They are probably more medically stable than one actually going through the transitions.

There could be problems, in my opinion, when a person is undergoing the transition, as Chronos points out.

No matter what gender, a good soldier is a good soldier.

Sweetleaf
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24 Mar 2018, 4:28 pm

Well if they have to be on hormones it does sound risky. Even if they can continue the treatment on duty, what happens when you know combat situations and stuff like that happens? What if they get captured or injured somewhere and can't get to their base, and are without their hormone treatment for days? also a lot of people with gender dysphoria have developed depression and anxiety problems, which I think those things can make one a bit more prone to PTSD, though anyone can get it. Though maybe a psych exam would determine if that would be a problem.

I mean if someone has done their transition and functioning as a healthy person then I don't see why they should be barred, but I can understand why it may not be in the best interest to have transitioning people serving.

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Chronos
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24 Mar 2018, 5:09 pm

Right. It's not an ideological issue. It's a medical cost and risk issue and the military should underscore that. The military wants people who are not dependent on medication and are unlikely to become so. Also, contrary to belief, they are not always in need of more recruits. I know a few people who were in ROTC in college and finished their basic training and were committed and then when they graduated, the military told them they didn't have any openings, cancelled their contract and told them to go home.

DarthMetaKnight
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24 Mar 2018, 5:15 pm

This means that trans people will join the people's revolutionary army instead.

Yay!

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Chronos
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24 Mar 2018, 5:27 pm

DarthMetaKnight wrote:

This means that trans people will join the people's revolutionary army instead.

Yay!

It's interesting; the American military values and requires physical strength in combat soldiers and full gear can weigh up to 120lbs but the North Vietnamese and North Koreans were quite small. Personally I think the U.S. military relies too much on brute force and technology and not enough on strategy. Asian cultures tend to excel in strategy because of a more holistic perspective.

For example, there is something called the Fish Test, where people are shown an aquarium image and asked what it's about. Americans tend to focus on the fish, which they see as the main players, but Japanese people tend to focus on the scene as a whole.

Of course sometimes brute force and technology are the way to go...those nuclear bombs did do the job.

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25 Mar 2018, 2:11 pm

Of course Trump has to throw a bone to his evangelical supporters who loathe LGBT Americans. So much for his promise to be the most pro-LGBT President ever.

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