"Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" deals strictly with sexual orientation not gender identity. Gender identity is handled separately by Department of Defense guidelines for both Transgender and Intersex people. These discriminatory guidelines apply to those currently serving in the military and for those attempting to join the military. Transgender and Intersex people will continue to be discharged from the military under these guidelines even if "DADT" is abandoned and the 1993 law is changed.
The following is taken from the National Center for Transgender Equality giving the reasons why Transgender people should be allowed to serve.
MILITARY
Transgender people are denied the ability to join the armed forces as a result of various discriminatory policies. Not only is this unjust to individual transgender people who wish to serve their country through military service, it weakens our national defense by barring qualified people from duty. The following proposals will end this discrimination and strengthen the military by attracting and retaining qualified personnel.
Repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. Congress should pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy. Although this policy deals specifically with sexual orientation, privacy for transgender service members and even the ability to serve is also hampered by the ban.
Ability to Serve. The Department of Defense should eliminate transgender status and gender identity disorder diagnosis as automatic disqualifications from military service and should ensure that medical fitness standards treat transgender service members equally with all other service members.
Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Department of Defense should revise the relevant sections of the Uniform Code of Military Justice to allow transgender people to serve openly.
Registering with Selective Service. The Selective Service System should change its policies to respect gender identity in determining who is required to register with the Selective Service.
Anti-Harassment Action Plan. The Department of Defense should amend its Anti-Harassment Action Plan to include gender identity and expression and should enforce the plan.
DD-215 Forms. The Department of Defense should issue and enforce a consistent policy for issuance of an amended Report of Separation (DD-215). Specifically, the Air Force should be required to issue DD-215 forms and the surgery requirement to amend gender on military discharge papers should be eliminated for all branches.
DEERS Records. The Department of Defense should create a policy for updating the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) system that allows alteration of gender. Additionally, the policy should allow the system to be automatically updated when the underlying service record is changed.
DFAS Records. The Department of Defense should create a policy for updating the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) system that allows alteration of gender. Additionally, the policy should allow the system to be automatically updated when the underlying service record is changed. Transgender people are denied the ability to join the armed forces as a result of various discriminatory policies. Not only is this unjust to individual transgender people who wish to serve their country through military service, it weakens our national defense by barring qualified people from duty. The following proposals will end this discrimination and strengthen the military by attracting and retaining qualified personnel.
After reading this, it is pretty clear the repeal of "DADT" is not going to open access to the US military for Transgender and Intersex people, although there are already Transgender and Intersex people serving in all branches of the military plus many Transgender and Intersex veterans.
Extremist Responses
Extremist Responses
GOP Representative Duncan Hunter from California made the following insensitive, transphobic and homophobic comments on National Public Radio Tuesday:
BLOCK: You are not in favor of a repeal of dont ask, dont tell. Why not?
Rep. HUNTER: No, because I think that its bad for the cohesiveness and the unity of the military units, especially those that are in close combat, that are in close quarters in country right now. Its not the time to do it. I think its - the military is not civilian life. And I think the folks who have been in the military that have been in these very close situations with each other, there has to be a special bond there. And I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians.
True to form, TVC Executive Director Andrea Lafferty makes the following inaccurate, insensitive, transphobic, homophobic statement:
:Why isn't "gender identity" in his bill? One of the main goals of the LGBTQ movement is to have "transgender" included as a protected minority group under federal law. "Gender identity" is in every other major initiative or piece of legislation being pushed by the LGBTQ movement, their allies in Congress and the Obama Administration-hate crimes law, federal employment, health care and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) etc. Why not in H.R. 1238?
The answer is simple: The gay, bisexual and lesbian contingent of this movement is excluding "gender identity" from their list of goals for the military because, for now, it is clearly a "bridge too far" in the effort to homosexualize the military. They are using incrementalism in their plan to ultimately get transgendered individuals inside the military. This will include cross-dressers, gay drag queens, transsexuals and she-males (males who have female breasts and male genitalia).
The goal to have gays, bisexuals, lesbians or she-males openly serving in the military will undermine unit cohesion, morale and military effectiveness. The 1993 law must stay in place and Clinton's DADT policy should be revoked. It violates the law passed by Congress.
Gender identity is not part of the 1993 law nor is it part of "DADT." Lafferty didn't do her homework and states an uninformed opinion.
Hunter ignores facts. Transgender, Intersex, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people are already serving their country proudly. As a former Marine, his platoon had a high probability of having LGBTI people fighting right next to him. The arguments of sexual harassment, unit cohesion and low morale are unsubstantiated. There is nothing to prove otherwise.
Again, Transgender and Intersex people are not allowed to serve in the military due to Department of Defense discriminatory guidelines. According to the DOD, appropriate medical care for Transgender and Intersex people is too expensive and places it outside of the military's scope of care.
Currently, there are thousands of closeted LGBTI people serving in the armed forces under the auspices of "DADT." They serve under the radar of the Department of Defense discriminatory guidelines. And again, there is no valid empirical data showing cohesion problems nor fraternization and morale issues.
If one must have an agenda to achieve equality as Lafferty states, said agenda is public record and transparent. Equality for all people is the right thing to do.
Conservative religious extremists like Lafferty and Hunter used the same arguments against having women in the military, having people of color in the military and now the same tired arguments are being used against having LGBTI people in the military.
If reactionary religious extremists do not have valid facts supported by statistics and empirical studies, at least, they could be more original and less sophomoric with their arguments.
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