Transition During Service Tour

[Guest angie]

Hey There All Ya'll Military Folks,

I must say something.

It wasn't until i was in transition,that my Big Bro told me something that blew me away.

Les,was a Full Bird Colonel at his retirement,and a doctor.

He told me that he had three women transition under his watch,Huh?

And you waited to tell me this!!?

The thing is,apparently the military will treat your conditon.

Just imagine that girls and guys,already having gone through the process.

Experienced real life,and adjusted before ETS.

Probably saving you a boat load of money with therapy,HRT and surgery too.

Just had to pass that along.

Hugs,

Angie.

[Guest Jenny]

It is somewhat comforting to hear that he had three down under his command. I wish thata were the case in Canada. I know they will pay for a lot of it here, I posted a link in another thread for anyone who needs it from Canada.

[Guest Huff]

The thing is,apparently the military will treat your conditon.

Just imagine that girls and guys,already having gone through the process.

Experienced real life,and adjusted before ETS.

are you sure about that? You are barred from enlistment if you've transitioned. I actually just ETS'd from the IRR so I could deal with my transition. huh.. maybe I should have gone active duty instead!

MK

[Guest Leah1026]

are you sure about that? You are barred from enlistment if you've transitioned. I actually just ETS'd from the IRR so I could deal with my transition. huh.. maybe I should have gone active duty instead!

MK

As far as I know it's still an automatic discharge when they find out. I know someone on another site that came out while in the Marines about a year and a half ago and she was administratively discharged. It just took them about 10 months to do it!!! While she was waiting to get out she got an orchi. And NO they did not pay for it. She went to someone in Philly(?) and paid for it out of pocket. Don't expect any change in this policy until at least Jan 2009.

What I can say that is positive, is that many VA hospitalss are now starting to offer some benefits for us (not surgery) after discharge.

[Guest SharleahLynn]

As far as I know it's still an automatic discharge when they find out. I know someone on another site that came out while in the Marines about a year and a half ago and she was administratively discharged. It just took them about 10 months to do it!!! While she was waiting to get out she got an orchi. And NO they did not pay for it. She went to someone in Philly(?) and paid for it out of pocket. Don't expect any change in this policy until at least Jan 2009.

What I can say that is positive, is that many VA hospitalss are now starting to offer some benefits for us (not surgery) after discharge.

The military is starting to make a small crack in policy, it seems they are adopting a 'don't ask , don't tell policy . There may be a light at the end of the tunnel after all. We will take what we can get , even if it is in bits and pieces . Eventually , we might even be able to get our SRS or GRS from the VA. Who knows , it would be nice if we could .

SharleahLynn

[Guest mwade1981]

I am currently on active duty, and have been in the service for about 8 years now. I am only recently begging to come to terms with the fact that I have gender dysphoria, and I'm trying to take steps to deal with it. However I still have two years left on my current contract. I'm doing what I can without risking the military finding out. Things like going to therapy, and starting electolisys. I would like to be able to do more, and would love to be able to start HRT, but I'm afraid that with the nature of my job I would be unable to hide it for vary long. I was wondering how long it would be before I could no longer hide my transition from the military if I started HRT, and if I'm caught would I be able to get an honerable disharge, or would I get an other than honerable or wors. Also If I do deside to wait to do anything until the end of my contract could I ask for a medical waver at that time. I know it's an attomatic disqualifier, but I have been diagnosed with a blood disorder that would be too, and I'm currently on a medical waver for that. So I know that they will bend or brake the rule, esspashaly when the job I fill is in demand.

[Guest SharleahLynn]

Wade

Stranger things have happened so one can never tell what could/would take place.

SharleahLynn

[Guest Chayraine]

This is basically hearsay and in my wording but to my understanding from a friend who is in the army and currently assigned to the military courts. They had a Transgendered enlisted person several months ago while he was presiding as whatever its called that escorts prisoners and such. The military is now (apparently) allowing in some situations for transgendered as well as Lesbian and Gay people, that are diagnosed under the military and have served well, to finish their term of service in a non disruptive position (desk job). Hopefully this isnt wishful thinking and the person didnt make it all up, but it fits with what others have said here.

[Guest JoAnnDallas]

I just saw a news article that said that the US military is starting to look the other way as far as Gays are concern. It is only because they are short of the manpower they need for Iraq and Afghanistan and don't want to seperate personnel that has the bulit up expertese in critical areas. It takes too long to get a new recurit trained to do some jobs. the article said many commanders know who is gay and who is not, but don't take any steps to seperate them due the manpower shortage.

I would think that it would also apply to a CDer that is in the military. especially if your job is a critical job. I used to be in the USAF and as an officer, I did not care what my troops did when they were off duty and off base. On base and on duty they knew that I expected them to be 110% military. Once I had OSI come to me and tell me that they suppected one of my guys. I thanked them for the information, told them I would look into it, and after they left, I called in the airman in question into my office, told him he was doing an outstanding job, and sent him back to work. Here is the weird part. What we did was classificed as "Top Secret" until 2002. Either the OSI knew about my CDing or for some unkown reason I was able to hide it very well. LOL

[Guest mwade1981]

I have been going to therapy for about a year now, and have started electrollisis. I have been trying to live as a woman as much as I can on the weekends when I can get away from the base. All this has re-enforced in me the belife that I need to transition, and I would prefer sooner rather than latter. Compond that with my therapist asking me if I want a letter for hormones. All this is going on in my life, and I still have a little less than 2 years left in the Navy. I so want to start HRT as soon as possable, but I also know that I wont be able to hide that sort of change for very long. And being a Diver I have to get in and out of a wet suit infront of the guys at work on a daylly baissis. I feel Like I'll drive myself crazy of I say no, and put off starting HRT, but at the same time I know that I should just wait out the rest of my contract and do what I can while I'm still in, and start HRT donkey soon as I get out. But what I know is right, and what I want seem so at odds with each other. I so wish that I could transition and continue to serve in the job that I love. Is there any way that I can do this? How would I go about finding out without risking my job? I know that I'll probably be stuck having to wait, but I can hope that there is way for me to be myself and keep my job.

Morgan

[Guest JoAnnDallas]

I know of a couple of TS's that are ex-miltary, getting treated for GID, and are getting their HRT from the local VA hospital.

[Guest rachael1]

I have been going to therapy for about a year now, and have started electrollisis. I have been trying to live as a woman as much as I can on the weekends when I can get away from the base. All this has re-enforced in me the belife that I need to transition, and I would prefer sooner rather than latter. Compond that with my therapist asking me if I want a letter for hormones. All this is going on in my life, and I still have a little less than 2 years left in the Navy. I so want to start HRT as soon as possable, but I also know that I wont be able to hide that sort of change for very long. And being a Diver I have to get in and out of a wet suit infront of the guys at work on a daylly baissis. I feel Like I'll drive myself crazy of I say no, and put off starting HRT, but at the same time I know that I should just wait out the rest of my contract and do what I can while I'm still in, and start HRT donkey soon as I get out. But what I know is right, and what I want seem so at odds with each other. I so wish that I could transition and continue to serve in the job that I love. Is there any way that I can do this? How would I go about finding out without risking my job? I know that I'll probably be stuck having to wait, but I can hope that there is way for me to be myself and keep my job.

Morgan

Hi Morgan,

I understand your dilemma, but if i was in your situation i would wait until my discharge before commencing HRT.

Two years isn't such a long time and if you started transitioning before then it wouldn't be long before people started to notice. There's no privacy in Dive team

Would you still love your job if your colleagues wouldn't accept you even if the navy does?