Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Bill Introduced To Deny Military Service To Many Trans People


Recommended Posts

  • Admin

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/some-transgender-people-disqualified-military-service-under-new-gop-bill

 

 

I was expecting this kind of bill.  Goes hand in hand with the whole "anti-woke" baloney.  It stands no chance of passage in the Senate for the next two years, but if R's regain the Senate & Presidency in 2025, it will be high on their to-do list.

 

Carolyn Marie

Link to comment

Wow. Speaking from the perspective of a retired senior NCO who hasn't read the bill, to say I'm stunned is an understatement. Personally, I never cared about a soldier's gender, orientation, ethnicity or anything else beyond their ability to do their job. The DEERS part is actually the most disturbing portion as it affects all service members, their spouses and children and the VA which currently provides gender care for veterans. If gender markers revert to those assigned at birth, this care could go away. It would also affect the careers of personnel currently serving who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, which would clearly impact force readiness. Idiots.

 

I also find it disturbing that the bill's sponsors have never served in the military. That alone speaks volumes.

Link to comment

"new regulations that disqualify from service anyone who identifies as transgender or has a history of gender dysphoria, unless they have been stable in their biological sex for 36 months prior to joining the military. "Stable" means they no longer have a desire to transition and are not suffering from anxiety or depression."

 

2 hours ago, Marcie Jensen said:

The DEERS part is actually the most disturbing portion as it affects all service members, their spouses and children and the VA which currently provides gender care for veterans. If gender markers revert to those assigned at birth, this care could go away.

I've been kinda expecting this one.

 

2 hours ago, Marcie Jensen said:

I also find it disturbing that the bill's sponsors have never served in the military. That alone speaks volumes.

This.    I have a real problem with this kind of "Patriots" 

Link to comment

I'm with @Marcie Jensen!  It's politically motivated insanity just to whip up their 'base' base.


Military service is exactly that ... Service.  It has nothing to do with gender/sexual identity (of any type) and it is why so many LGBTQ+ people end up in the military (whether Out on not).  They're accepted for what they contribute in the Service to this country.


When political motivations try to manipulate that core identity of Service, the damage to our military will be extremely damaging and long lasting.

Let's hope common sense prevails.

Link to comment

As usual, the GOP is up to some evil garbage. Not surprised here in the least but very sad. My heart goes out to all the LGBTQ+ service members who are fighting for their country. Why should they have their freedoms taken away on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation? We don't hurt anybody. I wish the GOP would just leave us alone and let us be! 

Link to comment
6 hours ago, Lelouch vi Ushiromiya said:

As usual, the GOP is up to some evil garbage. Not surprised here in the least but very sad. My heart goes out to all the LGBTQ+ service members who are fighting for their country. Why should they have their freedoms taken away on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation? We don't hurt anybody. I wish the GOP would just leave us alone and let us be! 

On behalf of all service personnel, thank you LeLouch for the sentiments. Something needs to be cleared up regarding their rights, though. When a person joins the military, they give up (VOLUNTARILLY) some of their civil liberties for the sake of military discipline. In terms of LGBTQ+ in the military, the various services have come a long way since I joined over four decade ago. Then, being part of the community was grounds for immediate dishonorable discharge. Then, under Clinton came the "don't ask, don't tell" policy followed by less and less restrictions on service until the military has reached the point where members of the LGBTQ+ community can serve openly. That's real progress. 

 

The restrictions that service members agree to include, but are not limited to, restrictions on participation in politics while in uniform--you can't wear a uniform to a political event, you can't sue military medical and dental personnel for malpractice, if single and under a certain pay grade you have to live in barracks (which have improved greatly from the open platoon bays that often date from WW2 to things such a if your spouse or children commit a crime in government quarters you and your family can be evicted. All for the sake of "the good order and discipline" of the service. It's just the way it is.

 

In terms of equality, there have been a number of strides made; women serving in combat arms branches and on ships for example. These have been the product of both the democrats and the republicans, and keep in mind that the majority of service members are conservatives.

 

As I said previously, the really disturbing part of the proposed bill is what it does to the DEERS portion, as that affects the families of service members' families; both active duty and retired. The impact on veterans is also disturbing, in that it affects the VA in general, and more specifically health care. Health care for veterans and retirees is convoluted to say the least. For example, as a retiree, I have TRICARE (essentially, the military's version of health insurance) BUT that doesn't provide any benefits for gender issues of any sort. I also have VA health benefits which provide some assistance for gender issues,d if one is part of the lucky 4,000 who get approved annually, provides GCS assistance. Dental and vision care are handled under a different program and if all of this isn't enough, at age 65 Medicare takes over as the primary health insurer. 

 

What this bill would do is rip away any and all gender care for military personnel, their families and those of retirees. And it's being proposed by people who have never served. The irony is that the GOP is usually regarded as being pro military and the DEMs are not. The plain truth is that neither party cares one bit for the military or veterans unless it serves their own agendas. The Democrats use the military for social expe4rimentation and budget cuts for social issues to appeal to their base and the GOP uses the military for hypocritical flag waving and false patriotism to appeal to theirs. And yes, I have a dim view of both parties. This is just the latest stunt by a bunch of non-veterans that ha the potential of destroying lives and causing harm to the military in general, service personnel and their families without any regard for the consequences.

 

In the 1890s, Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem "Tommy" about this very topic. It's apt today. One of the verses begins says, "Oh it's Tommy this and Tommy that and Tommy, get behind///but it's please to march in front, sir, when there's trouble on the wind." He was talking about the treatment of soldiers in the UK by politicians and the public. His words have the ring of truth today, and this bill just underscores it. 

Link to comment
3 hours ago, Marcie Jensen said:

This is just the latest stunt by a bunch of non-veterans that ha the potential of destroying lives and causing harm to the military in general, service personnel and their families without any regard for the consequences.

I've said before that those who avoided service should just sit down and shut up.

Link to comment

@Marcie JensenWhat an exceptional description of the reality of voluntary military service, the Tricare military system....or the falsity of what it really provides...and the implications of proposed legislation for LGTBQ+ service members and their family members. You are right that neither political party really cares about service members and their families and both have provided both positive and negative policies/programs over the decades. In the old mantra of "Mission First, People Always," both parties stop any real thought at "Mission First." Just wait until you experience the contradiction of terms that is Tricare For Life.

 

When we enlist or are commissioned we give up some of the rights civilians are guaranteed - and was also true in times of the draft/selective service. Good order and discipline, the necessity for the military to maintain a politically neutral position and to maintain the trust of the American people in that neutrality. We take an oath to protect and defend the constitution and to do that we (temporarily) relinquish some of our rights. That's most often not recognized by civilians...and even some service members who run afoul of the UCMJ during their service.

 

The Services and DoD have come very far from when we both served...and even farther from the days of segregation. Not many people in the military even know that the Pentagon was built with double the number of bathrooms needed to support the workforce it holds....because there were separate facilities for blacks and whites. Unfortunately, as a culture, humans are much better at technological advancements than we are at human rights advancement. But, we truly have come a long way.

 

I truly do enjoy your insight and perspective. Reading your thoughts and ideas has been so very helpful to me as I start this wonderfully amazing journey.

Link to comment

Thanks for the kind words, April. You are absolutely right about people not understanding about voluntarily relinquishing some of their rights when serving. Thanks for the reminder.

 

And, thanks for the point about Pentagon bathrooms. I learned something new this morning. That always makes it a good day. 

 

Hugs,

Marcie 

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Marcie Jensen said:

voluntarily relinquishing some of their rights when serving.

Yeah.  I didn't really understand how they could refuse the covid shots.  I don't remember anyone asking me which shots I wanted at Ft Bragg.

Link to comment

Me, too @Ivy. Just before Desert Shield we were all given experimental anthrax vaccinations, and it wasn't a matter of choice; or rather, you might say it was; it was "take the shot or go to jail. Those are your choices."

Link to comment

I've had so many vaccinations over the years - and exposure to nucs - that I glow in the dark. The worst was the old 3 shot Plague series that if you missed the window for the booster due to a field exercise, etc, you had to start over. They have since changed it but I started it 4 times before I got all 3 and the first shot was the worst. 

 

I think the anthrax experience caused DoD to opt out in some cases because it was not FDA approved. I think the Army was the only Service that opted not to discharge people who refused, though. Is that right?

Link to comment

I remember the plague shots! OMG they were awful. So was the gamma globulin (sp?) one. And I think you are correct about the anthrax shot, April. I managed to avoid that one because I had a live mission stateside, and deployed late to Desert Storm. I was in the 513th MI Bde for that one, and was one of 17 Arabic speakers in the entire Bde./ The chain of command had no idea as to what was going on. They had the two theater level POW cages as their responsibility, as well as the theater level TECHINT and DOCEX missions. They actually thought that the two Farsi speakers (I was one of those as well) and the Urdu speaker were dialects of Arabic! Imagine recovering an unexploded SCUD missile and no one on the team can read the markings and warning labels or at the cage trying to interrogate a senior enemy leader who has no common language with the interrogator. It got interesting. We had a battalion commander relieved as well as the Bde commander.

 

We still got those shots, though!

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   7 Members, 0 Anonymous, 122 Guests (See full list)

    • April Marie
    • KatieSC
    • Ashley0616
    • Willow
    • Karen Carey
    • MaeBe
    • Miss Cormac
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,941
    • Most Online
      8,356

    Raelyn
    Newest Member
    Raelyn
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. **Angela Charlotte **
      **Angela Charlotte **
    2. Carlie
      Carlie
      (63 years old)
    3. Cbxshawn
      Cbxshawn
      (49 years old)
    4. HannahO
      HannahO
      (31 years old)
    5. JustKatie
      JustKatie
      (40 years old)
  • Posts

    • MaeBe
      The number is relative to method of deliver, the time of the dose, and when the blood is drawn. However, I do want to keep away from DVT and other potential issues. I assume I may be getting backed down from my current dose, but my doc told me to stick with the higher dose, so? I also wonder if this has anything to do the my breast growth and mental changes that have been happening over the past few years, like I have some estrogen sensitivity so a little goes a long way or something? I don't have enough data to postulate, but who knows!   With weekly, subcutaneous, shots you expect to see big swings of serum level estradiol from shot to peak to trough. My doctor is interested in mid-week testing (for E and T levels only), which would be post-peak blood serum levels but they will be higher than trough. Most, if not all, resources I've seen online is to measure at trough (which I might do just to do it next time) along with a SHBG, LH, and other metrics.   This is from transfemscience.org for Estradiol valerate in oil, which is very spiky compared to some other estradiol combinations. It's also for intramuscular, which will have a slower uptake and is usually dosed in higher volume due to the slower absorption rate from muscles. They don't have subcutaneous numbers, which I would expect to see similar spikes but higher levels at similar doses due to the relatively higher absorption rate direct from fat.   Are you doing pills, shots, or patches? And when you do get your levels checked are you getting that done when your levels are lowest or some other time?
    • Willow
      Both of my parents were from the “North Shore” of Boston.  My mother Lynn and my father Swampscot.  They had an early 1900s Scots-Irish New England diet.  My sister and I were born in the 40s in Ohio well away from New England seafood and in an area where food was more German and Polish.  My first experience with liver and onions was during basic training.  They ate salt cod but never forced us to eat it same with oysters.  My dad ate oysters but my mother wouldn’t.  Anyone who ever ate an oyster can figure that one out.  I grew up eating lamb.  My wife won’t touch it. I love brazed ox tail, again no way. And the list goes on.  
    • KathyLauren
      My mother was German, so yes, I think it was a cultural thing.  If I'd known you when we were cleaning out my mother's place, I could have sent you her "threat jar". 
    • Adrianna Danielle
      Been taking it real easy.Another good neighbor of mine and his 15 year old son came over and cut down a couple dead trees on my property.Knew not to do it taking it easy.I had them put the wood near my fire pit in the back yard.Did it and happy where they put it.They knew I had stents put in and needed to take it easy
    • Ashley0616
      Wow that is a high number for Estradiol good grief! Testosterone levels are better than mine. I don't remember my Estradiol level but testosterone was 80. To me that is really high but it was in the two hundreds the check in before last one. 
    • Ivy
      I don't understand why this would make a difference being a "dad" I mean, as far as how they would grow.
    • Ashley0616
      I don't see why not. I have worn forms since I came out. 
    • MaeBe
      I have never worn breastforms, but I assume as long as they don't aggravate your nipples you could.
    • MaeBe
      Every week I've been excited to take my shot, so it's never been an issue. Yesterday, however, I woke up and started my usual "slow roll" and then suddenly realized I had breakfast plans that I had to rush out the door for. After, it was straight into work calls, and then I got the notification from the doctor about things being too high and all the while my mind had completely slipped that I needed take my shot.   Given that I am not asking for medical advice, but sharing my journey, I will note my results: Estradiol at 447 pg/mL and Testosterone was 23 ng/dL, up and down from 26 pg/mL and 526 ng/dL respectively before treatment. Almost flipped the bit! The doc would like my Estradiol closer to 300 pg/mL, so we'll see what Monday's tests state.   Oh, and I teased the dinner with old soccer teammates and never updated the thread! It went well. There were a couple funny moments. One guy, who I was worried about their response, greeted me with "Hey, you've lost some weight!" 😎 And a friend who lives near me picked me up on the way to dinner exclaimed, after we learned one of the invitees might show up with a date, "Wait! We could have brought women?!" To which I instantly responded, "You kind of did, bringing me!" Everyone got a good laugh out of that. 😁
    • Ashley0616
      To me there isn't that much difference other the measurement, which side the zipper is on and men's pants have bigger pockets. 
    • missyjo
      I hope this is not stupid question..I have yet to start n not sure if doc will approve..but once you start growing buds n such, can you still wear forms to get to the size you were?   I'm a dad, so when I start blossoms they will be smaller for a long time n probably need surgical augmented..that's fine. I don't want to go ddd to aa to ddd..   any ideas?   thank you
    • missyjo
      April sounds fun..I keep some boy jeans to visit mom in..fir now   hugs
    • Ivy
      I like them too.  We had them growing up.  But my father's family were Swedes.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Oh my!  I guess it just goes to show how different tastes can be. Since we don't live near the ocean, Seafood is a rare luxury. We absolutely love pickled herring! Especially my husband and my GF, I guess it's a Ferman/Russian cultural thing.  But most of the kids like it too, and a jar wouldn't last in the pantry for long 😆
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      I think the key to that is just not minding eating the same thing repeatedly. Since we produce a lot of our own food here, we end up eating what is in season at the moment. So, when the yellow squash is ripening, we end up fixing squash 20 different ways. When the strawberries are ready, we eat lots of strawberries. It's kind of a different mindset to eat in season when it has become such a part of American culture but the grocery store has everything we want all the time. Like grapes in December.  My family does even things out a little bit by having a greenhouse so we have some fresh things in the winter, but it's not a 100% fix.
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...