Transgender Service Member Policy in the Department of Defense
Department of Defense
The War Department prior to being referred to as the Department of Defense (DoD) housed in the Pentagon has been existence since 1789. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps were established in 1775 and in 1790 the Coast Guard (part of Homeland Security in peacetime) was established. In addition, the U.S. Air Force was also established in 1947. The mission of the Department of Defense is to utilize the military to deter war and ultimately protect and defend the United States of America. The DoD is America's oldest and largest government agency. It is considered the largest employer in the nation with over 1.3 million active duty service members, 742 thousand
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Studies have shown that more than 71 thousand military service members roughly 2.8 % identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Prior to 2011 individuals who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender were processed for administrative separation from military service no matter what their skill was. In addition, homosexual behaviors have been disallowed in the military as far back as 1942 because the behavior was considered morally reprehensible as well as a national security risk (Castro & Goldbach, 2016). In 1993, President Clinton attempted to end the military's ban on homosexuality by reaching a compromise, known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue ("DADT"), allowed lesbian, gay, and bisexual ("LGB") people to serve, as long as they did not engage in homosexual behavior (very broadly defined) or outwardly profess an LGB identity (Connell, 2015). Advocates for the repeal of the DADT policy were not satisfied so they pushed President Obama on a campaign promise to repeal the act, hence in 2011 the policy was repeal on the grounds, a hindrance to open service harms national security. On the other hand, the policy repeal of DADT did not address transgender service members, so they continued to serve in a shroud of secrecy (2015). Defense Secretary Ash
In the beginning of the 21st Century the U.S. Marine Corps stands at a strength of approximately 200,000 personnel. The Marines are also equipped with tanks, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and specialized ships, manned by the U.S. Navy, to transport them to various destinations. These numbers constitute a larger force than the entire armed forces of many countries and the U.S. Marine Corps is considered the junior service of the U.S. military. The Defense Act of 1947 guaranteed the continuing existence of the Marine
In the essay “Why gays shouldn’t serve” by David Horowitz he states that “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy is a way of containing the destructive force of sex on a combat capability called Unit Cohesion. (354)” This controversial topic has surfaced more and more recently because Barack Obama wanted to let all people serve in the military, regardless of their sexual orientation. “More than 1,000 retired flag and general officers have joined us in signing an open letter to President Obama and Congress, repeal of this law would prompt many dedicated people to leave the military (James J. Lindsay).” There are multiple points you could focus on when trying to explain your point on why gays or lesbians should not serve in the military. The first point we will be focusing on is: how would military life change if straight men or women knew that there were gays or lesbians sleeping next to them? The second point is: would straight men and women communicate with the gays or lesbians the same way as they would toward other straight men or women? The third and final point is: how would other countries view our military if they knew we had gays or lesbians in the military?
Frank, Nathaniel. Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America. New York: Thomas Dunne, 2009. Print.
A transgender, 25 year old woman named Avery Edison travelling from London, England was detained at Pearson Airport by Canada Border Service Agency. According to her, the reason for her detention was due to an immigration issue involving her overstaying a previous student visa. Despite being identified as a female on her passport, Avery had male genitalia. Avery tweeted that she would be assessed by a nurse before being placed in a male or female cell. However, the fact that she had male genitalia resulted in her being sent to Maplehurst, Correctional Centre in Milton, Ontario which is a prison for males where Avery stayed for one night. In the article, it is stated that Avery had concerns regarding potential sex attacks towards her in the
In 1950, President Harry S. Truman implemented discharge policies for homosexual service members in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This would allow military leaders to discharge any service member who was thought to be homosexual. In 1992, during President Bill Clinton’s campaign, he promises to lift that ban. Not being able to do just that, President Clinton issued a directive referred to as ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’. This stated that no service member should be asked about their sexual orientation. Mackubin Thomas Owens wrote the article “Gay Men and Women in the Military Disrupt Unit Cohesion” in 2009 right after President Clinton was again calling for the end of forcing homosexuals to live in secret. In his article he states that homosexuals living openly in the military will take away from military effectiveness and put the other service member’s lives in danger. Throughout most of the article he uses other resources, polls and opinions on the matter verses clearly stating his own. Most of the resources he uses are military connected or
(Wagner) In the early 1990s, large numbers of military personnel were opposed to letting openly gay men and lesbians serve. President Bill Clinton, who promised to lift the ban during his campaign, was overwhelmed by the strength of the opposition, which threatened to overturn any executive action he might take. The compromise that came to be known as "don't ask, don't tell" was thus a useful speed bump that allowed temperatures to cool for a period of time while the culture continued to evolve.
In 2002, DHS, “with the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November, DHS formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts” (DHS, n.d.). Not since President Harry Truman consolidated the armed forces into the Department of Defense had the government undergone such a large reorganization. Twenty-two agencies came together to form DHS with tasks that include border patrol, disaster recovery and transportation safety just to name a few.
In September 2011, the United States lifted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (DADT), which restricted gay, lesbian, and bisexuals from openly serving in the military. This was the first time in American history in which people of every sexual orientation could serve openly (“11 Facts About,” n.d.). This was a momentous occasion for some and not so much for others. For those military members that had served in secret and those members that were firmly against gays and lesbians, this repeal had different meaning. Both groups contained members that have served in the military for years and were products of the Former President Bill Clinton’s 1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. For many soldiers of this era, communication issues arose due to a pre-existing mentality, learned rules and regulations in services reinforced for two decades and the general cultural within combat related fields.
First off, the U.S. Navy alone is the second largest branch of the military but that is not counting the marines who are coupled with the navy. The navy has 317,054 active duty personnel as of December 2013 and close to 104,650 reservists. It operates 341 ships and over 3,700 aircrafts ranging from Fighter jets such as the F-18, AWACS such as the E2-C Hawkeye, and helicopters such as the CH-46 Sea Knight. The U.S Navy operates 10 aircraft carriers actively; these carriers house over 5000 sailors for periods of 6-8 months. Overall the U.S. Navy is a force to be reckoned with no matter what country we face off with (Navy.Mil).
Social causes such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and same-sex marriage laws contribute to homosexuals choosing to hide their real self. In the military, many homosexual soldiers are being punished for not liking the opposite sex. In Burks article, “Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Victimization in the Military” he describes the struggles service members face. Burk explains that if a homosexual does not hide his sexual orientation than he or she will be discharged from the military. Between 1980 and 2009 over 32,000 service members were discharged due to their sexual-orientation. Also, sexual assault and sexual harassment is very common among service members...
Humans have established their own rights in society for many, many years now. However, because some humans differ from the norms that are built in society, they are shunned and denied their rights until they conform to society’s norms. There has been numerous groups of people who have been denied their rights in America. African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans, and gays have been isolated simply because that is the way that they were born into this world and others do not find them “normal”. There is another group that has also been mistreated though; people who identify themselves as transgendered. A good portion of society is unknowingly misinformed about these kinds of people.
(Ross). Studies done by the Canadian government also found there to be no evidence of poor
Early April 2016, North Carolina passed a law restricting governments from passing laws that are discriminatory. This law is intended to protect Transgender people from discrimination. Discrimination against Transgenders is against the law, and it has stirred up arguments throughout the nation. With more and more people standing up against discrimination regarding Transgenders, the debate about Transgenders is now nationwide. Unfortunately, Transgenders still continue to face public discrimination due to misinformation and misleading statements from the media.
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) notes, “Discrimination against an individual because that person is transgender is discrimination because of sex in violation of Title VII. This is also known as gender identity discrimination” ("EEOC - Sex," n.d., para. 3). According to Canas and Sondak (2014), many states have adopted legislation that supports transgender people as a protected class. Colorado passed legislation extending protection to transgender people in 2008 (Brinker & Maza, 2014). However, one of the biggest controversies surrounding transgender individuals is which bathroom should they use? Zanin (2009) notes, “bathrooms remain one of the most acceptable gender-segregated spaces in cities which can present problems to those who do not conform to gender norms…” (para. 1). The question, then, is should transgender people use the bathroom that most closely mirrors their biological gender or the gender they identify with? While individual beliefs may vary greatly, legally, there is less of a gray area. This paper will address the recently decided Colorado case involving a transgender six year old child, Coy Mathis, and her fight to use the girls’ bathroom at school. In addition to this, legal issues and implications employers should be aware of will also be discussed.
Transgender Rights and Gender Neutral Bathrooms Cassidy Howell No one wants to feel like they do not belong or like they are not cared for. Transgender people are just like everyone else and deserve to be treated equally as cisgendered people. According to Sam Killerman, being transgendered means living "as a member of a gender other than that expected based on sex assigned at birth. " This definition is extremely important because a transgender person is still a person.