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United States News Title: Transgender People Will Be Allowed to Serve Openly in Military WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter on Thursday removed one of the final barriers to military service by lifting the Pentagon’s ban on transgender people serving openly in the armed forces. “Effective immediately, transgender Americans may serve openly,” Mr. Carter said. “They can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military just for being transgender.” The decision pushes forward a transformation of the military that Mr. Carter has accelerated in the last year with the opening of all combat roles to women and the appointment of the first openly gay Army secretary. He made his feelings on ending the transgender ban clear last year, when he called it outdated and ordered officials across the military to begin examining what would need to be done to lift it. When Mr. Carter ordered that assessment, there were already thousands of transgender people in the military. But until Thursday, most had been forced into an existence shrouded in secrets to avoid being discharged, a situation much like that faced by gay men, lesbians and bisexuals before the lifting of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2011. Transgender people have “deployed all over the world, serving on aircraft, submarines, forward operating bases and right here in the Pentagon,” Mr. Carter told reporters. “The lack of clear guidelines for how to handle this issue puts the commanders and the service members in a difficult and unfair position.” Mr. Carter said the Pentagon would cover the medical costs of those in uniform who are seeking to undergo a gender transition, though it would expect new recruits who are transgender to spend at least 18 months in their transitioned gender identity before joining. The Pentagon also plans to begin a broad, yearlong training program about the changes for service members up and down the ranks. The military’s top leaders, including Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were on board with ending the prohibition, Mr. Carter said, although none of the military’s top brass appeared with him for the announcement. And concerns were heard immediately from one senior member of Congress. Representative Mac Thornberry of Texas, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement saying he would examine “legislative options to address the readiness issues associated with this new policy.” Document: Study on Policy Implications for Transgender Service Members “Our military readiness — and, hence, our national security — is dependent on our troops’ being medically ready and deployable,” Mr. Thornberry said. “The administration seems unwilling or unable to assure the Congress and the American people that transgender individuals will meet these individual readiness requirements at a time when our Armed Forces are deployed around the world.” Lifting the ban on transgender people has faced resistance from some at the highest ranks of the military, who have expressed concerns over what they consider a social experiment that could potentially harm the military’s readiness and effectiveness in combat. Several studies have reached the opposite conclusion, however, finding that lifting the ban is unlikely to have any appreciable effect on the readiness of the armed forces. A study by the RAND Corporation, commissioned by Mr. Carter, found that out of the approximately 1.3 million active-duty service members, an estimated 2,450 were transgender, and that every year, about 65 service members would seek to make a gender transition. Providing medical care to those seeking to transition would cost $2.9 million to $4.2 million a year for the Pentagon, which spends about $6 billion of its $610 billion annual budget on medical costs for active-duty service members, according to the report, which was completed in March. The report also said that if the Pentagon did not cover medical procedures like hormone therapy and surgery, transgender service members would most likely not seek medical care and could have higher rates of substance abuse and suicide. Making the announcement on Thursday, Mr. Carter said the Pentagon had studied the experience of allied countries that already allow transgender people to serve in their militaries, such as Britain, Australia and Israel. He also cited the experience of companies like Boeing and Ford, which offer health insurance policies that cover the costs of gender transitions. “That’s up from zero companies in 2002,” Mr. Carter said. “Among doctors, employers and insurance companies, providing medical care for transgender individuals is becoming common and normalized in both public and private sectors alike.” But as much as any practical concern played into the decision, Mr. Carter said it was also “a matter of principle.” “Americans who want to serve and can meet our standards should be afforded the opportunity to compete to do so,” he said. “After all, our all-volunteer force is built upon having the most qualified Americans. And the profession of arms is based on honor and trust.” This will give a new meaning to the phrase " BE ALL YOU CAN BE " How much further will this nation fall? I would love to hear the opinion of this from Gunny Sgt Arlee Ermee, and Gen George S. Patton. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 3.
#1. To: Stoner (#0)
So they will pay for elective surgery but they will let a soldier die before giving them medical treatment?
Yeah, ain't that grand? Damn, how much lower can we go?
Yon't defend, by chance, the US Constitution, do ya?
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