Trump And Transgenders In Military

[jason.p]

It seems that Trump has declared that he wil not "allow or accept" transgenders in any capacity in the US military. Can this be justified?

[dannyk13]

He doesn't have to justify it .He is the President.

[ToraToraTora]

essential I'd say.

[jim360]

The excuse being used, trying to cut down expenses, is somewhat flimsy when there are only a couple of thousand (out of over a million) such people in the US army, and when the US defence budget, at around $600 billion, is higher than the total budgets of Russia, China, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia put together. I'm not sure how much SRS per person would work out to, but it will barely register. I'm sure Trump -- whose policy priorities include a massive hike in Defence spending anyway -- could find the money needed with no trouble.

Blaming costs is just a front.

[Ellipsis]

> Can this be justified?

Yes, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

[sp1814]

I don't think it can be justified.

Also, the question that arises now is, what will happen to the transgendered people who are already serving?

If someone has transitioned, say five years ago and is living and working successfully for the military, will they be sacked?

Will they be compensated?

This is just plain wicked.

[DTCwordfan]

what a load of balls.

[Peter Pedant]

you're tickling my funny ?

Irrelevant I say

[Islay]

That bloke is a scumbag!
The cost has nothing to do with it as most people either pay for it themselves or claim it on their insurance.

[mikey4444]

More ignorance for the Bigot-in-Chief.

[Togo]

He has got it all wrong surely. If he had a phobia about them, he would send them all out on dangerous missions.

[mikey4444]

Meant from, not for !

[sp1814]

Togo

Not all military personnel are combat operatives.

The U.S. military also employs firefighters, plumbers, quarry specialists, construction engineers, secretaries, IT analysts, geospatial engineers, carpentry and masonry specialists, trainers, aircraft electricians, avionic engineers, helicopter repairers, multimedia illustrators, visual information equipment operators and paralegal specialists.

All transgendered people in all of those roles are no longer suitable to be employed in the U.S. military. Trump did not specify combat troops.

It's everywhere.

So, potentially right now, someone who has already transitioned (even before they joined the service), and is doing their job fine without any overhead to their employer, faces dismissal no matter how good at their job they are.

It's every kind of wrong.

[andy-hughes]

The character defects that most of us do not possess - or if we suspect we may possess them, we make strenuous efforts to adjust our personalities - racism, bigotry, misogyny, small-mindedness, pettiness, having a thin skin, self-obsession, grudge-holding, inability to accept ever being wrong ... the list goes on -

all of these are what Donald Trump thinks are desirable not only in the American race, but in their president, where they are correspondingly writ large.

The surprise is not that President Trump outlaws transgenders from the military - the surprise is that he has not ordered their immediate extermination from within his borders as a priority.

Nice to see that he can exercise restraint sometimes!

[Togo]

Haha, I am sure they have the personality traits to make them eminently suitable for life in the military. Make it compulsory for them then and send family men home to their families. :))

[andy-hughes]

Togo - I rather think the opposite, unless your irony has not travelled well.

I think the sort of tolerance, empathy, compassion, sensitivity, and overall willingness to live and let live that are the necessary traits to live as an outsider in a hostile society, are character traits that may cause the odd difficulty with killing complete strangers for money.

[nailit]

If someone is willing to serve their country, in whatever their capacity, then what difference does it make what their sex is, male, female or transgender?

[andy-hughes]

nailit - // If someone is willing to serve their country, in whatever their capacity, then what difference does it make what their sex is, male, female or transgender? //

The argument against homosexuals in the military has always been based on the notion that inter-personal relationships, which would not normally occur in same-sex units, cause unrest and disrupt the smooth operation of military units and make for discipline and safety issues.

I think President Trump's motives are probably those of a lot of his electorate - fear and distrust of something he doesn't understand.

[Mamyalynne]

Can this be justified?

Not in my view.

[sp1814]

This all opens the door to anyone currently enlisted to be able to quit before their service contract has expired.

They can simply announce that they are preparing to undergo gender reassignment surgery, and they would have to be dismissed under these new proposals.

[Togo]

Perfect solution there sp. Military surgeons do the necessary "work" and send em home, job done. All free of course.