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Aeolus451 on 27 July 2017
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mizzou_guy said:
Aeolus451 said:

Trans is different than a sexual orientation. They had gender dysphoria and were quiet about it but they weren't technically trans. They acted and looked like the gender they were born as so a good chunk of the problems that would come from trans being in the military wouldn't happen. I get what you're saying but my points still stand. 

I didn't mention sexual orientation.  These people were transgender while in the military, but due to don't ask don't tell, they were not able to be themselves at work.  Not revealing something at work doesn't mean you aren't that person.  For example, I'm gay, but I don't tell everyone at work I'm gay, but that doesn't make me less gay.

The worst part about this is that after don't ask, don't tell was repealed, these people felt safe about coming out.  Now, the new administration is suddenly saying they're not allowed to be in the military.  Well, once you've outed yourself, there's not shoving the secrets back into the closet, so it's almost like an entrapment scenario.

The main point of posting that video is to display that there are transgender people who contribute greatly to our military.  Both of those individuals had highly respected roles and received recognition for their work.  Their transgender identity never interfered with either of their jobs.  The only time it became a factor was when other people made their private lives their business.

That's why I mentioned orientation. It's related to this but different. A person who has gender dysphoria disorder doesn't mean they are a trans person by default. Unlike a gay person, there's a lot more choice involved in this. A trans person is someone who wants to or is transitioning into the gender they identify as. Transitioning is one of the most popular way for a person with gender dysphoria to cope with the disorder or alleviate the symtoms of the disorder but it's not the only way from I what I understand of it.  I think the military's problem is with the ones choosing to transition, not necessarily the ones with the dysphoria. I'm not 100% on where they drew the line before but I'll check up on it if this keeps going on. 

I'm not saying that trans people or people with gender dysphoria wouldn't be of any contribution at all or of great contribution to the military but there's no real pragmatic solution with incorperating them into the military if they choose to transition or transitioned before or walk around as their oppisite sex.  

Personally, I don't care if a person with gender dysphoria joins the military or is in the military just so long as they are not transitioning or dress as their oppisite sex. I think that's what they did before obama changed the ban. Do what you want when you're out.