Bradley Manning: I want to live as a woman

[Ben]

Dr. Cornell West, Chris Hedges on Chelsea Manning:

[Ben]

Chelsea Manning's attorney:

[BellaBellucci]

regardless if none of this happened, if he was a regular joe soldier and wanted to transition...

he still would NOT be able to. that's why I got out of the Navy. They now let Gays and Lesbians in, but NOT transgender.

This will likely have to change as DADT is no more and the DSM-V is replacing GID with Gender Dysphoria. The latter is not pathologized, meaning that someone with GD will no longer be considered mentally ill.

~BB~

[EvaCassini]

I know, but that wasn't the case back when I was in and until that occurs as you said, transgender people cannot serve.

[tsmirandameadows]

This will likely have to change as DADT is no more and the DSM-V is replacing GID with Gender Dysphoria. The latter is not pathologized, meaning that someone with GD will no longer be considered mentally ill.

~BB~

Not necessarily. The military makes risk assessments on a person's medical history and can make denials on that. Just because GID will no longer be pathologized doesn't mean you can't be denied entry into the military for having experienced symptoms of Gender Dysphoria. There are a variety of things the military will deny you for, even if you are in perfectly good health, simply because it is risk factor that could POTENTIALLY become a problem in the stress of combat. For transsexuals, while I would've loved the opportunity to have served in the military -- my dad was career Army so I grew up around this stuff -- I also can tell you that being trans is a major risk factor from a psychological/psychiatric perspective. Even if it isn't a pathology, it is a pretty severe trauma and would be even if society was 100% accepting, which it isn't. Given the severity of the psychological trauma that is inflicted by being trans, I think it is entirely reasonable for the military to say: "You're up to the job now, but will you be after 6 months in a combat zone with still 6 months to go? We'd rather train and invest in someone who doesn't have this risk factor."

I mean the only reason I'm not in the Army now -- and probably hating life awfully hard, lol -- is that I was prescribed some Prozac for a few months as a teenager. If that can legitimately stop a military career, why would anyone expect the military to suddenly start accepting transsexuals even if society is becoming more accepting of us at large?

[EvaCassini]

I was diagnosed 2x before enlisting. I still got in. And more interesting, it was on my permanent Navel medical record. Everyone knew.

[Ms.Stepford]

I think it's been proven time and time again that trans women are quite up to the job in combat zones. I wish they'd have me back, but the IRR doesn't even call me anymore.

All the misgendering in this thread is shameful, especially from the girls, by the way.

[Ben]

[tsmirandameadows]

I was diagnosed 2x before enlisting. I still got in. And more interesting, it was on my permanent Navel medical record. Everyone knew.

Well all I can say is that I checked a box on a form for history of depression, then had to submit pages upon pages of medical records, wait through a several month review process, get denied, try for a waiver, and get denied the waiver. This was in 2004 btw, so maybe things have changed since then.

[tsmirandameadows]

I think it's been proven time and time again that trans women are quite up to the job in combat zones. I wish they'd have me back, but the IRR doesn't even call me anymore.

All the misgendering in this thread is shameful, especially from the girls, by the way.

I'm not saying individuals aren't up to the job, I'm saying that the military has a legitimate interest in making risk assessments and denying potential recruits based upon risk factors. The fact that many transsexuals have served in combat admirably doesn't mean that being trans isn't a risk factor.

I'm a certified personal trainer and when I've worked with clients, a big part of what I do in initial assessment is do a risk stratification. I've never had a client go into angina pectoralis but that doesn't mean both I and client don't have a legitimate interest in doing a risk stratification and taking precautions based upon the risk factors that are identified. Just because you're a male over age 45 doesn't mean you are guaranteed to go into angina, but you are MORE likely to do so, and if you've been a smoker and sedentary, then you're getting a doctors clearance before we do anything but sub-maximal testing and exercise prescription. Likewise, the military needs to do risk stratification when recruiting -- it's expensive as shit to train a soldier -- and in my opinion being a transsexual IS a risk factor.