Pentagon sets limits on transgender troops

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department signed a memo on Tuesday that would enforce limitations on transgender people serving in the military, a policy that has been the subject of court challenges.

The policy will take effect on April 12 and will bar most transgender individuals from serving if they require hormone treatments or transition surgery.

The memo, signed by David Norquist, currently the No. 2 official at the Pentagon, will allow service secretaries to issue waivers on a case-by-case basis.

President Donald Trump announced in July 2017 a ban on transgender people serving in the military. He later accepted Pentagon recommendations to limit the ban to individuals with a history of gender dysphoria, defined as “those who may require substantial medical treatment,” and allowing some exceptions.

-snip-

POLITICS MARCH 12, 2019 / 10:15 PM / UPDATED 25 MINUTES AGO


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-transgender/pentagon-sets-limits-on-transgender-troops-idUSKBN1QU06M

[gateley]

1. Of course. Sigh.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. I am not entirely sure what to think here.

I think my base line question is: how much of an issue is this, really? How many people enlist who then declare they are trans gender and want the military to pay for the transition? How many enlist who have already at least begun the transition?

Sometimes it seems as if there are a lot of transgender members of the military, but I suspect that impression is because we never read stories about the ordinary, non transgender, heterosexual members of the military, who must by far be in the majority.

I also want to state that I'm 70 years old and while in my lifetime have known plenty of gay men and lesbian women, I seem to have known far fewer transgender people. In fact, offhand I seem to have only met one, although I'm sure I've met others who simply don't find it necessary to announce their transgender status to one and all. I'm putting this in only to plead ignorance if I've gotten things wrong.

[Eugene]

3. This is an issue in Trump's mind with the prompting from the far right.

Just as a thief thinks that everybody steals, a cheater like Trump thinks that everybody is out to scam the system. He tweeted the policy change after meeting with a conservative congressman. Trump's arguments about the costs to military readiness have long been debunked.

As for examples of transgender people who have served honorably see:

Trump’s ban on transgender troops, explained (Vox)

Transgender troops tell Congress they excel in military (Associated Press)

[912gdm]

4. SMH.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. There are probably the same number as the number of terrorists in a group of Honduran refugees.

If you're a Republican, there are quite a few. If you're Trump, there are many, many, let me tell you.

If you're a normal thinking person, then very few.

I don't think the number of transgender procedures would put a big dent in the military budget. Probably cost much less than a few presidential golf outings.

[noneof_theabove]

5. Surgery

surgeries can have a life-time cost.

Last I found for 2017 a liver, which I will soon need, at that time was $776,000 no including the forever anti-rejection drugs

This again will fail in the courts, well the District are getting stacked by R's but SCOTUS should kill it.