A transgender in the army
Donald Trump is not taken seriously at all, or at least his government and social thinking go in a different way. His hard conservative line and his public attacks against gays and transgender people reaffirm his announcement of not letting transgender serve at US army, reversing Obama´s policy to accept them. A transgender recruit has signed a contract to join the military. In a press release, the Pentagon said that forces must accept openly transgender people. Donald Trump said in July last year during a speech that “transgender in the military would entail a burden with the tremendous medical costs and disruption.”
Major David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said the person who signed the contract hasn´t started basic training. However, transgender will have to pass a rigorous medical and physical examination that will evaluate mental conditions to detect possible bipolar disorders.
Major Eastburn has said that the Pentagon would reject potential recruits with gender dysphoria or a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition. Nevertheless, they will be approved if they haven´t had records of medical disorders and if they are clinically stable in the preferred sex after 18 months. Transgender individuals receiving hormone therapy also must be stable on their medication for 18 months. Due to those requirements, it will be a challenge for the transgender recruit to pass.
According to several US lawyers, many transgender people want to join to US forces. Speculative media data reveals that around 4 000 of them want to serve. Military officials do not know how many transgender people have begun to enlist since Jan. 1 when the Defense Department began accepting openly transgender recruits, but this is the first time one has officially signed a contract to join the military. Baltimore, Washington, Seattle, Riverside and California are some of the states that issued rulings blocking Trump’s ban. Donald Trump’s ban is against human rights according to the US Constitution that states an equal protection under the law.
But the public arguing is not about the conditions that transgender will have to have, it’s on what terms and what will be the policy of the government. It seems that no one is walking in the same line in Trump´s government. Last year, then-defense secretary Ash Carter up the ban on transgender service members saying that within 12 months, or by July 2017, transgender people would also be able to enlist. Supposing the previous was correct, a tweet of the president was clear about his position. We “will not accept or allow” transgender troops to serve “in any capacity” in the military, said Trump. He also made a formal order telling the Pentagon to extend the ban and decide in around six months about the current serving process. Contrary to Trump’s position, the Pentagon has agreed on enlisting transgender people on the military. Besides, Trump’s decision has been tackled down twice on court. Under violation of constitutional rights, US district court judges have already ruled against the ban. American society put more weight on the presidents’ shoulders, which has seen how legal pressure about the topic has grown.
So far and in spite current possible prejudices, it is a truth that sexual orientation and patriotism have nothing to do. So let´s give the green light to those who want to serve no matter they are transgender, gays or anything else.