SGT Private RallyPoint Member 1155191 <div class="images-v2-count-1"><div class="content-picture image-v2-number-1" id="image-71640"> <div class="social_icons social-buttons-on-image"> <a href='https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rallypoint.com%2Fanswers%2Fben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3DShare%20to%20facebook' target="_blank" class='social-share-button facebook-share-button'><i class="fa fa-facebook-f"></i></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ben+Carson+calls+transgender+military+members+a+distraction.+How+do+you+feel+about+this%3F&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rallypoint.com%2Fanswers%2Fben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this&amp;via=RallyPoint" target="_blank" class="social-share-button twitter-custom-share-button"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i></a> <a href="mailto:?subject=Check this out on RallyPoint!&body=Hi, I thought you would find this interesting:%0D%0ABen Carson calls transgender military members a distraction. How do you feel about this?%0D%0A %0D%0AHere is the link: https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/ben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this" target="_blank" class="social-share-button email-share-button"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i></a> </div> <a class="fancybox" rel="c11c42cbf2985517c3c6d917555e486e" href="https://d1ndsj6b8hkqu9.cloudfront.net/pictures/images/000/071/640/for_gallery_v2/362a1cb8.png"><img src="https://d1ndsj6b8hkqu9.cloudfront.net/pictures/images/000/071/640/large_v3/362a1cb8.png" alt="362a1cb8" /></a></div></div>Personally, I don&#39;t care if a military member is transgender or not. It&#39;s none of mine or anyone else&#39;s business, unless. Why would it matter, as long as the job is getting done? I don&#39;t want to debate this. Remember I do not want to debate transgenders. I want to know how you feel about what Carson said. IMO, he&#39;s definitely not POTUS material now. Everyone has a constitutional right and a moral right to choose as they please, as long as it isn&#39;t against our Constitution or against the law. <br />And now for the rest of the story:<br />I decided I don&#39;t like the pic I had of Carson. I also,changed my first statement as it was causing controversy.<br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />“I mean, why do you have to go around flaunting your sexuality?&quot; the presidential hopeful added.<br /><br />CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Ben Carson told veterans at an event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday that the military is not the place to deal with the “transgender thing.”<br /><br />“I do not appreciate using our military as a laboratory for a social experiment,” Carson said at a town hall hosted by Concerned Veterans for America. “You know?<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-transgender-military_566442cce4b08e945fefd34f?ir=Politics%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-transgender-military_566442cce4b08e945fefd34f?ir=Politics%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003</a> <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/031/240/qrc/5664433d1b0000580129f50c.jpeg?1449436866"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-transgender-military_566442cce4b08e945fefd34f?ir=Politics%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003">Ben Carson Calls Transgender Military Members A Distraction</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">“I mean, why do you have to go around flaunting your sexuality?&quot; the presidential hopeful added.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> Ben Carson calls transgender military members a distraction. How do you feel about this? 2015-12-06T16:21:06-05:00 SGT Private RallyPoint Member 1155191 <div class="images-v2-count-1"><div class="content-picture image-v2-number-1" id="image-71640"> <div class="social_icons social-buttons-on-image"> <a href='https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rallypoint.com%2Fanswers%2Fben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3DShare%20to%20facebook' target="_blank" class='social-share-button facebook-share-button'><i class="fa fa-facebook-f"></i></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ben+Carson+calls+transgender+military+members+a+distraction.+How+do+you+feel+about+this%3F&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rallypoint.com%2Fanswers%2Fben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this&amp;via=RallyPoint" target="_blank" class="social-share-button twitter-custom-share-button"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i></a> <a href="mailto:?subject=Check this out on RallyPoint!&body=Hi, I thought you would find this interesting:%0D%0ABen Carson calls transgender military members a distraction. How do you feel about this?%0D%0A %0D%0AHere is the link: https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/ben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this" target="_blank" class="social-share-button email-share-button"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i></a> </div> <a class="fancybox" rel="f04e15436ade8413a0c87e941583c911" href="https://d1ndsj6b8hkqu9.cloudfront.net/pictures/images/000/071/640/for_gallery_v2/362a1cb8.png"><img src="https://d1ndsj6b8hkqu9.cloudfront.net/pictures/images/000/071/640/large_v3/362a1cb8.png" alt="362a1cb8" /></a></div></div>Personally, I don&#39;t care if a military member is transgender or not. It&#39;s none of mine or anyone else&#39;s business, unless. Why would it matter, as long as the job is getting done? I don&#39;t want to debate this. Remember I do not want to debate transgenders. I want to know how you feel about what Carson said. IMO, he&#39;s definitely not POTUS material now. Everyone has a constitutional right and a moral right to choose as they please, as long as it isn&#39;t against our Constitution or against the law. <br />And now for the rest of the story:<br />I decided I don&#39;t like the pic I had of Carson. I also,changed my first statement as it was causing controversy.<br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />“I mean, why do you have to go around flaunting your sexuality?&quot; the presidential hopeful added.<br /><br />CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Ben Carson told veterans at an event in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday that the military is not the place to deal with the “transgender thing.”<br /><br />“I do not appreciate using our military as a laboratory for a social experiment,” Carson said at a town hall hosted by Concerned Veterans for America. “You know?<br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-transgender-military_566442cce4b08e945fefd34f?ir=Politics%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-transgender-military_566442cce4b08e945fefd34f?ir=Politics%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003</a> <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/031/240/qrc/5664433d1b0000580129f50c.jpeg?1449436866"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-transgender-military_566442cce4b08e945fefd34f?ir=Politics%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003">Ben Carson Calls Transgender Military Members A Distraction</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">“I mean, why do you have to go around flaunting your sexuality?&quot; the presidential hopeful added.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> Ben Carson calls transgender military members a distraction. How do you feel about this? 2015-12-06T16:21:06-05:00 2015-12-06T16:21:06-05:00 TSgt Kenneth Ellis 1155203 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It used tone about serving your country. Now it is who you want to sleep with and who you want to dress up like. Response by TSgt Kenneth Ellis made Dec 6 at 2015 4:24 PM 2015-12-06T16:24:52-05:00 2015-12-06T16:24:52-05:00 MSgt Curtis Ellis 1155237 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t believe transgendered military members themselves are a distraction to the military, they have been serving for quite some time now, but I do believe the topic itself as it pertains to the military, is a distraction. Kind of like the &quot;women serving in a combat zone&quot; topic. The fact that women are serving in combat zones isn&#39;t a distraction as they have been doing it forever, but the topic itself, as it pertains to the military, is, and as long as we have the media and a lack of education, it will continue to be a distraction... As far as what Dr Ben Carson meant? I haven&#39;t the foggiest, and I agree, he&#39;s definitely not POTUS material... Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Dec 6 at 2015 4:41 PM 2015-12-06T16:41:31-05:00 2015-12-06T16:41:31-05:00 MSgt Erik Copp 1155287 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I agree with Ben Response by MSgt Erik Copp made Dec 6 at 2015 5:01 PM 2015-12-06T17:01:49-05:00 2015-12-06T17:01:49-05:00 MSgt Erik Copp 1155305 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Also, I find it funny how if you disagree with someone or something you get some moron saying your a bigot. Response by MSgt Erik Copp made Dec 6 at 2015 5:11 PM 2015-12-06T17:11:10-05:00 2015-12-06T17:11:10-05:00 SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member 1155342 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If you were to listen to the actual speech and not screenshots and memes, you get a completely different picture.<br /><br />The basic message he implied is that our military is not the place for social experiments, and that ones sexual preference doesn&#39;t need to be publicized. In fact, he referenced bringing back don&#39;t ask don&#39;t tell (not the ban on homosexuality) which we all know was a Clinton policy, and go ahead and call me a bigot, I agree.<br /><br />I don&#39;t care what you do in your personal life, or on your own time. Go ahead and bring your domestic partner to family events. But your sexual preferences (or mine) have no place in workplace discussion. PDA is against policy, and sorry but either go to unisex showers, billeting and bathrooms or if you&#39;ve got junk in your pants, you use the men&#39;s bathroom. Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 6 at 2015 5:26 PM 2015-12-06T17:26:54-05:00 2015-12-06T17:26:54-05:00 SSG Michael Hartsfield 1155404 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>How do I feel about it? About how I felt when &quot;Don&#39;t Ask, Don&#39;t Tell&quot; was repealed.<br />I...Don&#39;t...Care!<br />Soldiers and servicemembers in general don&#39;t care what or who a person is as long as that person does his or her job. The only people who care about something like this are people who objected to this in the first place Response by SSG Michael Hartsfield made Dec 6 at 2015 5:53 PM 2015-12-06T17:53:23-05:00 2015-12-06T17:53:23-05:00 MSG Brad Sand 1155419 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><br />To the question, of course it is a distraction and a mistake, but that does not mean we will not continue to be distracted by it. Just follow the discussion on the question on this site?<br /><br />To the posting implying that the Right supports &#39;Blind Hate&#39; is beneath you. It is the modus operandi of the Left to call anyone who does not support the destructive agenda as hate filled bigots. Don&#39;t fall into their trap. Response by MSG Brad Sand made Dec 6 at 2015 5:59 PM 2015-12-06T17:59:28-05:00 2015-12-06T17:59:28-05:00 MSG Tim Gray 1155525 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I believe that Ben Carson is more POTUS qualified than the majority of other candidates. I like Trump, but dont agree with his philosophy of killing ISIS family members. Response by MSG Tim Gray made Dec 6 at 2015 6:55 PM 2015-12-06T18:55:50-05:00 2015-12-06T18:55:50-05:00 SSG Patricia King 1155575 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Transgender soldiers have been serving in silence for as long as we have had a military. Statistically we are twice as likely as a cisgender person to serve. Initial reporting shows that over 25% of transgender Americans have served at some point. The difference is that we have finally come to a point where we can look to serve openly and with dignity. It&#39;s not about who we want to be or what our agenda is. I don&#39;t want my gender to be a big deal any more than anyone else, but I do want to serve as myself. This isn&#39;t about left or right. Take away political sides and agendas. This isn&#39;t about religious views as we are a country with many and none rule out governmental views (or should). This is about a society who has come to a point of acceptance for who I am. The military is not a social experiment.<br /> The military is the logical place to right societal wrongs. We have the construct of order and discipline, as well as a set of core values, which make us the right place to lead our country in doing what is just for those in the margin. From racial equality, to women&#39;s rights, and now to LGBT equality this is not about special privilege. It&#39;s about equality and the equal right to serve this country regardless of who you are, but based on your ability to serve. Yes the military is often first. We are leaders. I&#39;m proud to be a soldier. I&#39;m proud of my service. And now I am proud to serve openly as a Trans woman. It hasn&#39;t affected my job or my ability to lead. With time we will look back on this and wonder what the big deal was about. Response by SSG Patricia King made Dec 6 at 2015 7:23 PM 2015-12-06T19:23:08-05:00 2015-12-06T19:23:08-05:00 CPT Ahmed Faried 1155690 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I think reports of his genius have been greatly exaggerated. Response by CPT Ahmed Faried made Dec 6 at 2015 8:13 PM 2015-12-06T20:13:30-05:00 2015-12-06T20:13:30-05:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 1156584 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I really can&#39;t wait until I can retire, it seems that nowadays in the Armed Services is about women serving in combat (which has not been an issue to me ), sexual preferences and things like that. When can we get back to shooting, physical training, MOS training, etc? Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2015 8:05 AM 2015-12-07T08:05:33-05:00 2015-12-07T08:05:33-05:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 1156722 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It&#39;s cool as long as they use latrine and showers according to their sexual organs and not preference. <br />I don&#39;t understand how people listen to Trump and Carson bash and degrade people. Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 7 at 2015 9:26 AM 2015-12-07T09:26:28-05:00 2015-12-07T09:26:28-05:00 SGT Kristin Wiley 1157511 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If you don't want to debate transgenders, then why start a topic about it? Just seems like you are trying to create an argument. I also see nothing in his statement that would be considered "bliind hate". He has a right to his opinion, as does everyone else. If you don't like or agree with his opinion, don't vote for him. It's that simple. You aren't helping anything by attacking him and those who support his opinion. The perception I'm getting from you is more along the lines of 'hate' then anything Dr. Carson has said. Response by SGT Kristin Wiley made Dec 7 at 2015 2:35 PM 2015-12-07T14:35:16-05:00 2015-12-07T14:35:16-05:00 SGT David T. 1157528 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Anything and everyone can be a distraction. The Private marrying the stripper. The Sergeant getting beat up by his wife. The Captain who&#39;s husband cheats on her. Everything and anything can be a distraction. WHO CARES? If you are laying on the battlefield with your guts hanging out, do you really care who patches you up? Or when you are pinned down by enemy fire, do you care who is on the QRF? Why can&#39;t we just treat PEOPLE with DIGNITY and RESPECT regardless of who they are and what their preference is? You don&#39;t have to agree with or condone their lifestyle. You simply have to work with them. No more no less. Besides this is nothing new there have been women that disguised themselves as men who fought in the Revolution and the Civil War. Is this any different?<br /><br />Here are a couple of links with a couple examples:<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/untold-stories/female-soldiers-in-the-civil.html">http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/untold-stories/female-soldiers-in-the-civil.html</a> <br /><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Sampson">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Sampson</a> <div class="pta-link-card answers-template-image type-default"> <div class="pta-link-card-picture"> <img src="https://d26horl2n8pviu.cloudfront.net/link_data_pictures/images/000/031/333/qrc/tr?1449517356"> </div> <div class="pta-link-card-content"> <p class="pta-link-card-title"> <a target="blank" href="http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/untold-stories/female-soldiers-in-the-civil.html">Female Soldiers in the Civil War</a> </p> <p class="pta-link-card-description">The Civil War Trust&#39;s Untold Story of female soldiers in the Civil War.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> Response by SGT David T. made Dec 7 at 2015 2:42 PM 2015-12-07T14:42:53-05:00 2015-12-07T14:42:53-05:00 SGM Steve Wettstein 1158366 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="520566" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/520566-11b2p-infantryman-airborne">SGT Private RallyPoint Member</a> Not touching that one Keith. Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Dec 7 at 2015 9:21 PM 2015-12-07T21:21:04-05:00 2015-12-07T21:21:04-05:00 SSgt Private RallyPoint Member 1158857 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Ben Carson is 10x smarter than the president, but then again, so are a box of rocks Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2015 12:42 AM 2015-12-08T00:42:32-05:00 2015-12-08T00:42:32-05:00 SSG Todd Halverson 1160842 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>As long as they can do the job and don&#39;t infringe on others rights, whatever team they bat for really doesn&#39;t matter. There have been many gay and transgender members in the Military through the years. The only difference is they now do not need to hide in the shadows. I know for a fact that I have served with gay Soldiers throughout my career and worked side by side with them. If they have male anatomy, then they need to use male facilities, regardless if they are gay or transgender. <br /> <br /> My belief is if they want special considerations and accommodations, then they do not belong in the Military. As long as they can serve with the same accommodations as everyone else, they should be able to stay in. But, I do not feel that a transgender should be addressed as the sex they feel they should be. If they are a male, dress like a male, in uniform; same for females who think they should be males. Once they are off duty they should be able to dress and live as they please.<br /><br />Sure it will be a distraction for a while with some Soldiers, but over time they will adjust and get used to it. I know that when I entered AD in the 80&#39;s we had males and females living side by side each other in the barracks. Lets just say the guys in the unit were very protective and watchful for the safety of the females in the unit. If one of there boyfriends was giving her troubles in the barracks, she had a whole group of big brothers there to help her. We also had less problems with women being assaulted in their barracks. Response by SSG Todd Halverson made Dec 8 at 2015 5:04 PM 2015-12-08T17:04:39-05:00 2015-12-08T17:04:39-05:00 SrA Art Siatkowsky 1161908 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>are you defending NAMBLA? Response by SrA Art Siatkowsky made Dec 9 at 2015 12:28 AM 2015-12-09T00:28:22-05:00 2015-12-09T00:28:22-05:00 Col Joseph Lenertz 1163077 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Well, the facebook meme posted claims &quot;blind hate&quot; on Dr Carson&#39;s part, an Ad Hominem attack, so we&#39;re not starting out too well to have a rational discussion. So which thing he said would you like to discuss rationally...the redefinition of marriage, or transgender in the military? Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Dec 9 at 2015 12:32 PM 2015-12-09T12:32:05-05:00 2015-12-09T12:32:05-05:00 SSG Warren Swan 1163079 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Do not care. Do the job, meet or exceed the standard, and keep it moving. Response by SSG Warren Swan made Dec 9 at 2015 12:33 PM 2015-12-09T12:33:18-05:00 2015-12-09T12:33:18-05:00 SSG Jeffery Haynes 1163127 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The military is not the place to do &quot;social experimentation&quot;. When you 18-20 year old males, many of whom have never been away from mom or dad, suddenly get together and say &quot;hey let&#39;s all be women today&quot;. Then they go into the female latrine, and all hell breaks loose. Not a good idea IMO. Response by SSG Jeffery Haynes made Dec 9 at 2015 12:49 PM 2015-12-09T12:49:51-05:00 2015-12-09T12:49:51-05:00 MAJ Private RallyPoint Member 1163156 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Here's what I tell my troops: I do not care what you do on the weekends. As long as it stays your business and its not illegal or immoral. <br /><br />My concerns center around the logistical and medical requirements to support such individuals. We don't allow people with ADD or flat feet to enlist. I find it hard to fathom that a person needing hormone therapy is somehow more suitable. Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 1:04 PM 2015-12-09T13:04:14-05:00 2015-12-09T13:04:14-05:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 1163157 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I hope that everyone is aware that transgenders are now a protected category. Be mindful of your responses. I am in a women's network and some people thought it justice to threaten to file EO complaints because a few other soldiers didn't agree with the bandwagon. Unfortunately we've gotten to a point where we can't have disagreements without people thinking you're a threat to their life. So just be aware. Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 1:04 PM 2015-12-09T13:04:25-05:00 2015-12-09T13:04:25-05:00 SGT Private RallyPoint Member 1163212 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I can fully get behind the idea of wanting to have priorities in place of the transgender movement, but the idea gets redundant when you try and indefinitely use the idea as your argument for why it shouldn&#39;t be put in place indefinitely as well. You can ignore it for more important matters, but there will be a point eventually where you have to pick that straw and decide to do with the idea being presented.<br /><br />As the argument goes, if we&#39;re investing any resources whether it&#39;s minimal or large then it&#39;s too much because, well, it could be going into combat and obviously that weakens us. Though it could be justified, personally I don&#39;t agree with the statement and haven&#39;t yet been argued to convince me otherwise. <br /><br />Comparison of strategy implementation versus approval/regulation of transgender don&#39;t exactly seem like they go hand-in-hand. Less you were to suggest that the team behind our strategy and combat effectiveness are the same that are approving and regulating. While it may all wrap around the same organization, the impact doesn&#39;t seem exactly as accurate as people suggest. <br /><br />Lastly, calling it a laboratory for Social Experiment feels a on an bit exaggeration considering how LGBT equality is something that has been a push for many people for a long time, especially after recently getting over the hurdle of gay marriage. Feels like he&#39;s a bit late to the punch unless he&#39;s referring specifically to the regulation/approval for LGBT service members hitting ground next year which isn&#39;t at all touched on in the interview so I feel there&#39;s more evidence against than for that. Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 1:18 PM 2015-12-09T13:18:16-05:00 2015-12-09T13:18:16-05:00 SGT Private RallyPoint Member 1163361 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>No less, I don&#39;t recall anyone using this &quot;distraction&quot; argument when we were in arms about black socks with the PT uniform. Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 2:27 PM 2015-12-09T14:27:53-05:00 2015-12-09T14:27:53-05:00 PO1 Michael Fullmer 1163587 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I should probably read he other posts, but in my opinion, so long as they do their job, don&#39;t flaunt themselves, the only continued distraction, are those who keep bringing it up in the media. Let things die, and things will eventually die. Just my observation, for what it&#39;s worth. Response by PO1 Michael Fullmer made Dec 9 at 2015 4:24 PM 2015-12-09T16:24:39-05:00 2015-12-09T16:24:39-05:00 SGT Alicia Brenneis 1163710 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;ve never met one In the military ... that i know of.. .. so I can&#39;t say if it would be a distraction or not. I can&#39;t think of a reason as to why it would be though. Response by SGT Alicia Brenneis made Dec 9 at 2015 5:42 PM 2015-12-09T17:42:54-05:00 2015-12-09T17:42:54-05:00 Sgt Kevin Curl 1164220 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Sorry I don't feel the military should be used as a social experiment and think our military should return to DADT . I'm not going to debate this , this is my opinion . Response by Sgt Kevin Curl made Dec 9 at 2015 10:11 PM 2015-12-09T22:11:21-05:00 2015-12-09T22:11:21-05:00 Maj Private RallyPoint Member 1164297 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>There will be that one guy who pretends to be transgender just so he can go to the women&#39;s bathroom and showers and be a creep. On a separate note, just because it doesn&#39;t bother you doesn&#39;t mean it&#39;s wrong if it bothers someone else...unless You&#39;re the bigot. Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2015 10:47 PM 2015-12-09T22:47:26-05:00 2015-12-09T22:47:26-05:00 PV2 Catherine Schultis 1165291 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Omg I see it now, new MOS for the service... The toilet police. I feel bad for the guys and gals that are going to have to check each person and make sure they go into the appropriate bathroom, ya know the one for their biological gender. &quot;Hey Sir, I&#39;ve got one here with both, where do they pee???&quot; Response by PV2 Catherine Schultis made Dec 10 at 2015 11:56 AM 2015-12-10T11:56:00-05:00 2015-12-10T11:56:00-05:00 CPT Private RallyPoint Member 1165714 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>They say women are a distraction too. <a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="520566" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/520566-11b2p-infantryman-airborne">SGT Private RallyPoint Member</a> I cannot even count the number of times I&#39;ve been told I&#39;m a distraction. I think it&#39;s an excuse to limit what an individual can do, should do, is expected to do...... Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2015 2:04 PM 2015-12-10T14:04:13-05:00 2015-12-10T14:04:13-05:00 PO1 Glenn Boucher 1165755 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>While I will admit to not fully embracing the transgendered person just because I am not fully comfortable about it yet, but hey it took me more than 20 years to be comfortable with gays, so possibly I will come around sooner rather than later.<br />We can all think back to when someone different was introduced into the military, when they first allowed blacks to serve I am sure that they were not very kindly accepted, when women were allowed to serve it caused lots of issues even though originally women were only doing administrative or medical field duties. Look at these last few years with openly allowing homosexuals to serve openly, it was met with lots of resistance but in the end I would say that more than 90% of the service members care more about if the person is doing their job than worrying about their sexuality.<br />I do think in our near future we will see transgendered openly serving and its going to be rough, but it will happen. And remember that there are more people who don&#39;t serve for a variety of reasons than those that choose to serve. Response by PO1 Glenn Boucher made Dec 10 at 2015 2:17 PM 2015-12-10T14:17:59-05:00 2015-12-10T14:17:59-05:00 SSG Audwin Scott 1165771 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I see it as a man holding true to what he or she believes in. We all have values, at least I hope we all do. Stand for something or fall for anything is the saying. Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Dec 10 at 2015 2:24 PM 2015-12-10T14:24:55-05:00 2015-12-10T14:24:55-05:00 SSG Raymond Whitener 1165784 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I need to see Ben Carson&#39;s military record to be able to judge whether or not his military opinion is worth more than sub turret sludge Response by SSG Raymond Whitener made Dec 10 at 2015 2:29 PM 2015-12-10T14:29:17-05:00 2015-12-10T14:29:17-05:00 SPC Mischa Greenslet 1166662 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>First off, he makes himself sound uneducated on the whole topic of transgender. Most transgender folks i know don&#39;t go around flaunting their sexuality. In fact, gender and sexuality are two separate aspects of being human. There is way more to it than the over simplified statments spoken by Dr. Carson. As a Dr., he should know better than to make such statments, unless his sole purpose (which I believe it was/is) is spur political discourse which will give him points within his own party.<br /><br />Then there is the point about being a distraction. We always hear about how &quot;professional&quot; our military is. Why isn&#39;t that professionalism extended to trans people? Professionalism is about having to &quot;like&quot; or agree with how some else lives there lives. It&#39;s about ustilizing the talent within the organization to accomplish a shared goal or mission. If this is the professional military we have, then it shouldn&#39;t be an issue. <br /><br />Sure there are some trans people that suffer from mental illness. But what about the rest of the general population? There are soldiers and airmen that take ritalin and other medication. This issue here is, if a person is well adjusted and qualified to serve, then they should be able to. Response by SPC Mischa Greenslet made Dec 10 at 2015 8:23 PM 2015-12-10T20:23:04-05:00 2015-12-10T20:23:04-05:00 MSgt Michael Smith 1168317 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Ben Carson should stick to medicine. I don&#39;t appreciate him commenting on things he has no experience with. This guy also thinks the pyramids were used for grain storage. He&#39;s an ass-clown. Response by MSgt Michael Smith made Dec 11 at 2015 1:32 PM 2015-12-11T13:32:26-05:00 2015-12-11T13:32:26-05:00 MSgt Michelle Mondia 1169663 <div class="images-v2-count-1"><div class="content-picture image-v2-number-1" id="image-72263"> <div class="social_icons social-buttons-on-image"> <a href='https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rallypoint.com%2Fanswers%2Fben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this%3Futm_source%3DFacebook%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3DShare%20to%20facebook' target="_blank" class='social-share-button facebook-share-button'><i class="fa fa-facebook-f"></i></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ben+Carson+calls+transgender+military+members+a+distraction.+How+do+you+feel+about+this%3F&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rallypoint.com%2Fanswers%2Fben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this&amp;via=RallyPoint" target="_blank" class="social-share-button twitter-custom-share-button"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i></a> <a href="mailto:?subject=Check this out on RallyPoint!&body=Hi, I thought you would find this interesting:%0D%0ABen Carson calls transgender military members a distraction. How do you feel about this?%0D%0A %0D%0AHere is the link: https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/ben-carson-calls-transgender-military-members-a-distraction-how-do-you-feel-about-this" target="_blank" class="social-share-button email-share-button"><i class="fa fa-envelope"></i></a> </div> <a class="fancybox" rel="48d6fa02b8abc63789e660f98f7b55d4" href="https://d1ndsj6b8hkqu9.cloudfront.net/pictures/images/000/072/263/for_gallery_v2/e970c7b.jpeg"><img src="https://d1ndsj6b8hkqu9.cloudfront.net/pictures/images/000/072/263/large_v3/e970c7b.jpeg" alt="E970c7b" /></a></div></div>But a social experiment is exactly what the military is! This man is a fool every time he opens his mouth... Response by MSgt Michelle Mondia made Dec 12 at 2015 1:05 AM 2015-12-12T01:05:35-05:00 2015-12-12T01:05:35-05:00 SrA Matthew Knight 1170406 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I don&#39;t think anyone should be barred from service as long as they can do their jobs. I will say that I agree with him though, all of these experiments are unnecessary and a waste of time and resources. We should look at what we need to actually prioritize here and I would say that determining whether someone&#39;s gender ID will affect their job is not a priority.<br /><br />As for the comments about DADT, I agree to some extent with that too but allow me to explain for those who this might stir up. I 100% think, as I already said, that everyone should be allowed to serve if they can, including those who are homosexual. I had two friends at my last base who were homosexual and they were both great at their jobs. The only reason I think DADT should be partially brought back is because there is no place at work for discussions of sexual nature, regardless of what it is. I know these talks will always happen but they are completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the mission at hand. That said, I don&#39;t think DADT need to be brought back to force homosexual members out. However, conversations about sexual acts, hetero, homo, whatever should be punishably with disciplinary action. That&#39;s the kind of conversation you have off duty and out of the shop and that&#39;s all there is to it.<br /><br />So with that said, a Don&#39;t Ask Don&#39;t Tell policy could help to just avoid those conversations at work in general. We won&#39;t force you out but when you are on duty you shouldn&#39;t be asking nor telling people about your sex lives. If you do, LOCs, LORs and ultimately Art 15s and beyond will be handed out. You never know who may be listening in and should treat your conversations with the idea that at any point your leadership could walk through the door. Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Dec 12 at 2015 1:07 PM 2015-12-12T13:07:54-05:00 2015-12-12T13:07:54-05:00 COL Jon Thompson 1183363 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I was actually at this event in Waterloo when he said this. In fact when I first read the question, I thought that is exactly what I just heard him say. This was an event sponsored by the Concerned Veterans of America and was a Town Hall meeting. The audience was primarily former military and by the comments I heard, mostly conservative. So he was addressing a fairly partisan group. I forget the actual question that came up but it was his response to that. Do I agree with him? Yes. It will cause issues as the military integrates transgenders into units. There are questions that need to be addressed. We can start with how do you accommodate them with facilities and then follow with what PT standard do they use. These things will be distractions as he mentioned. Response by COL Jon Thompson made Dec 17 at 2015 6:35 PM 2015-12-17T18:35:27-05:00 2015-12-17T18:35:27-05:00 SSG Patricia King 1195393 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I am an openly transgender service member on active duty. I live genuinely full time. Ben Carson is absolutely correct. Wait, wait. Let me elaborate. Transgender service members themselves will not be a distraction. We are people and service members like anyone else. Our goal is to live an authentic life and do our jobs with pride. There is nothing distracting about that. I don't need special standards. I simply need the already existing standards of my gender. And the transition process does not require special treatment, just a mini,al standard of medical care which does not impede me from doing my job.<br />So where is the distraction? Bigotry. When me minding my own business causes coworkers to go out of their way to be rude. When people venture outside of their lives to discriminate against me. When I am made the target of a political agenda or when a persons beliefs extend outside of how they live their life and infringe upon how I live mine. This is distracting. This takes away from good order and discipline. This affects morale. Me, Patricia king, adhering to female standards, taking a pill every morning, and occasionally going pee does not affect my or anyone else's ability to defend our country. Shoot, we don't even need special classes. We already have EO. All we need is for competent leaders to follow the values of their branch and expect subordinates to act like professionals. It's an election year. And none of our politicians will pass an opportunity to make me more than a person. To make me a political issue. To influence votes. <br />I get it. Maybe you don't agree with who I am. I'm not asking you to be trans. You can't because it isn't a choice. I'm simply asking you to respect who I am. You think I'm going to hell. Ok, I don't. And since we live in a country with freedom to practice our own religion then I suppose we are both ok.<br />Folks, do your job. Don't stare, don't make comments, simply treat me with the respect I deserve as a soldier and a person. And I promise that a year after open trans service we will all wonder what the big deal was about. Response by SSG Patricia King made Dec 24 at 2015 11:46 AM 2015-12-24T11:46:13-05:00 2015-12-24T11:46:13-05:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 1202350 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It&#39;s the way people are... do I go around flaunting my whiteness or my heterosexuality? Is &quot;yes, we understand your (fill in the blank) and that we have to accept it, just please do us a favor and hide the fact that your (fill in the blank) really the best we can do in 2015? Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 9:19 AM 2015-12-29T09:19:52-05:00 2015-12-29T09:19:52-05:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 1202732 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It kills me when anti-LGBT people throw out the &quot;flaunting&quot; card. It&#39;s so stupid. If a hetero has a photo of his significant other on their desk at work, it&#39;s called a symbol of affection. If a LGBT person does the same thing, it&#39;s called flaunting. Same with the routine things any hetero couple does--a kiss goodbye if you are getting dropped off at work; holding hands in the shopping mall (not in uniform); or anything at all that shows you care about your significant other. They call that affection for heteros and flaunting for LGBTs. But what they really mean when they say that is that we wish you didn&#39;t exist and we don&#39;t want to ever have to be exposed to you. I wish those types of people wouldn&#39;t flaunt their ignorance and bigotry so much in public. It&#39;s very distracting. Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 29 at 2015 11:37 AM 2015-12-29T11:37:08-05:00 2015-12-29T11:37:08-05:00 Sgt Private RallyPoint Member 1210844 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I understand this is a month old. The question is a simple one and can be answered in a word. The word is (GOOD) or how about OK. As in it's fine that the man (Carson) said that. What's not fine is that you ask an open ended question and than attempt to close the issue. You know there are jobs woman can not do as well as men. The Armed-Forces is not to be used as an experimental proving ground just because a woman Senator feels it's OK. The short answer to your question is , again , I say it's OK &amp; good the Doctor mention the fact that it's a major DISTRACTION. And you attack the guy for that. You say well ( Now he can't be my President). So if you feel as if a person that can not and will not be able to carry on in a combat situation , under stress , under fire. Is good because you think all people need to be treated fair , or a special way because it's time to be nice to this group or that group. Than let's do as our country did during WW-2. Place them all together as was done with black people and send them in. Send them in to do the job. How do you feel about ??. I'm with you , let's try that - OK. Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 2 at 2016 12:29 PM 2016-01-02T12:29:55-05:00 2016-01-02T12:29:55-05:00 SGT Mairi Hawker 1223100 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>do you honestly think if I was in a battle with someone I would care who had my back no.. What I have a problem with is those that are very flamboyant with their sexuality... I believe act how you want when you get off of work but at work your sexuality should not matter.. the mission should. Response by SGT Mairi Hawker made Jan 8 at 2016 12:06 PM 2016-01-08T12:06:16-05:00 2016-01-08T12:06:16-05:00 CW3 Jim Norris 1230579 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Silly Dr. Carson....keep you private life private... Response by CW3 Jim Norris made Jan 12 at 2016 10:31 AM 2016-01-12T10:31:40-05:00 2016-01-12T10:31:40-05:00 CW4 Private RallyPoint Member 1530638 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>They said join the Army, find out who you are. Some people took that literally. Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2016 8:19 AM 2016-05-15T08:19:02-04:00 2016-05-15T08:19:02-04:00 SGM Bill Frazer 3614508 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>1. I don&#39;t care if they do their job. 2. What if they decide mid stream they are trans-gender- what do you do with them ( now not a big deal). But if they want the shots and the sex change- then they are non-deployable, on sick call and not worth much to the unit. I remember when the CG during cutbacks went through every gym and skate job and drug back all the NCO&#39;s he could find, which was a lot. Also, where do you house them- same billets, different floor? Response by SGM Bill Frazer made May 9 at 2018 9:35 PM 2018-05-09T21:35:03-04:00 2018-05-09T21:35:03-04:00 SFC Jim Ruether 3614774 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>He speaks his mind and I like that. Response by SFC Jim Ruether made May 9 at 2018 11:42 PM 2018-05-09T23:42:11-04:00 2018-05-09T23:42:11-04:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 3616434 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>A man of Science who calls evolution &quot;Satanic&quot;, a man of faith who attacks the separation of Church and State and claims a Muslim can&#39;t be President, a man of color who calls the Black Lives Matter movement silly, not a lifelong politicians... but a political extremist none the less. <br /><br />The problem with Carson isn&#39;t that is a skilled surgeon, a Christian, a black man, and not a professional politician... the problem with Carson is that he holds extremist views, violated federal ethics rules by funneling work to family members, and exercised extremely poor judgement by spending $31,000 of taxpayer dollars on a dinning set while overseeing huge cuts to HUD. Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2018 3:25 PM 2018-05-10T15:25:55-04:00 2018-05-10T15:25:55-04:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 5898392 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>They are not a distraction. They are patriots, just like the rest of us. Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 16 at 2020 5:58 PM 2020-05-16T17:58:22-04:00 2020-05-16T17:58:22-04:00 SSG Edward Tilton 7132887 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Is there any reason I would care about his opinion on anything Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Jul 25 at 2021 5:22 PM 2021-07-25T17:22:48-04:00 2021-07-25T17:22:48-04:00 SPC Jesse Davis 7132902 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>He&#39;s been a politician for almost longer than some voters have been alive, and conservatives still haven&#39;t learned that using tokens doesn&#39;t really mask the reality or other criticisms of their ideology.<br /><br />Get back to me when he has something besides some more Pyramid Granary-tier hot takes on issues beyond his ken to grasp. Response by SPC Jesse Davis made Jul 25 at 2021 5:32 PM 2021-07-25T17:32:55-04:00 2021-07-25T17:32:55-04:00 MSgt Mark Bucher 7132979 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Don&#39;t care about a person&#39;s sexuality. All boils down to one simple thing; Can a person do the job? Response by MSgt Mark Bucher made Jul 25 at 2021 6:36 PM 2021-07-25T18:36:47-04:00 2021-07-25T18:36:47-04:00 2015-12-06T16:21:06-05:00