Transgender People in the Military

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by dark_crystal

71% of 17-24 year-olds are ineligible to serve.

Recruitment is down.

The number of transgender people who want to serve has to be vanishingly small-- so small that any conceivable impact they will have is statistically insignificant.

To be picking nits about gender identity among willing and qualified potential recruits makes the whole thing performative.

They do not care one bit about the actual military-- they care about exerting theocratic power.

The fact that this issue has now been thrown at the wall four(?) times since 45's inauguration is unconscionable.

It's terrorism. They are singling out a very small, very vulnerable population for periodic ritual public menacing just to show that they can-- just to wink at theocrats and remind them Pence is pulling for them.

I love the way you weaved these thoughts together. Spot on.

Interestingly, studies show that trans people are twice as likely to join the military than cis people. It can be described as a "flight into hypermasculinity". For trans women, it is a last ditch effort to try to live as male. I can say that I have seen this in my own clinical practice. A larger percentage of trans women I work with have been in the military than the cis people I have worked with over the years. I can't say the same for trans men, I have my own theories as to why, but I haven't seen any studies saying there is a higher percentage of trans women having a history in the military than trans men.

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Katzchen, there is nothing new. Trans people are still currently allowed to join. I don't know what is happening with their surgeries being authorized, but I assume they still are for those who want surgery.