In its latest bigoted move against anything that doesn't share DNA with a loaf of Wonder Bread, the Trump Administration unveiled a new policy on Friday that will all but eliminate the ability of transgendered patriots to serve in the military.
It's the continuation of shit that he's hoped would stick to Washington's bureaucratic walls in the past: in August of last year, Trump sent Defense Secretary Jim Mattis a memo that ordered him to change a policy put in place by the Obama administration. The policy allowed transgendered soldiers to proudly lay their lives on the line for their country and receive the quality medical care they deserve in thanks for their service.
The force behind Trump's stab at transgender service members comes from a policy laid out by the Pentagon and the Justice Department in February: it states that military personnel need to be available for deployment for up to a year at a time. If you can't hack that, you can't stay in the ranks. That could temporarily interrupt the military career of individuals who plan on having a child or come down with a severe illness that requires extensive medical treatment outside of a war zone. But it absolutely screws anyone seeking gender reassignment surgery, which can span multiple, complex visits under the knife. It actually sounds reasonable, when you think of it in terms of medical care and deployability. But that's because it's supposed to: the most hateful bile often comes from the mouths of seemingly rational men.
Given that thousands of transgender personnel currently serve the nation with honor, I call bullshit: If they've been able to do their jobs up until now, there's no reason that others with the guts to put on a uniform, no matter how they identify, couldn't do the same.
According to USA Today, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called the ban what it is–a load of bullshit:
"This latest memorandum is the same cowardly, disgusting ban the president announced last summer," Pelosi said. "No one with the strength and bravery to serve in the U.S. military should be turned away because of who they are. The president's hateful ban is purpose-built to humiliate our brave transgender members of the military who serve with honor and dignity."
Given that Trump was too much of a chickenshit to answer the call to service in Vietnam, I'm personally amazed that he wouldn't relish the opportunity to have anybody stand in harms way to protect his flabby orange ass. But here we are. You can bet that we'll be watching this story as it develops.
Image: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico – This Image was released by the United States Navy with the ID 100522-N-7498L-130 (next).
