No one can just up and join the military. I feel like that must be clearly stated before we dive into the absurdity that is the transgender military ban. Military personnel are expected to be in top physical and mental states, so to believe being trans somehow diminishes people physically and mentally, clearly shows the ignorance of transphobic people.
Trans people have proven the trans community to be qualified as military personnel by the sheer numbers of trans people in the U.S. military. There are estimated to be about nine to 15 thousand trans personnel in the military right now. That number is so broad since people, of course, feel the need to hide their gender identity if they are to retain their position in the military, a dangerous reference to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy the Obama Administration repealed in 2010.
Many transgender veterans have proven they are capable of life in the field and in the fight, such as former marine Randi Blocker or coast guard veteran Zander Keig. People like these two are heroes and frankly have significantly more courage than I. Estimates find there are 134,000 trans U.S. veterans. Somehow their gender didn’t matter until now.
President Trump made a series of tweets that talked about the issue and wrote, “the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.”
According to NPR, the Supreme Court decision of Trump’s transgender military ban “allows the Pentagon to prevent many transgender persons from joining or, in some circumstances, remaining in the military while the lower court rulings that had blocked the policy are appealed.”
As of now, there are exceptions to this rule, but that doesn’t diminish the transphobic reasoning behind this ban.
There are substantial topics military personnel and politicians have debated on concerning the military ban. Some have asked whether U.S. military healthcare should pay for transitional procedures. Placing restrictions on healthcare is one debate, but banning transgender people altogether doesn’t solve that issue. It erases the issue entirely, which isn’t a compromise; it’s exclusion.
Transgender people are not a threat to our own military. I can scarcely believe there are trans people who are willing to follow the lead of our current commander in chief, but there are, in spite of the disrespect they’ve received for it. These people are willing to give their lives for our country, and many stand idly by while the president tries to deny them that right. I believe it speaks volumes about the character of these individuals who would fight for the right to fight for us.
