Do you understand the term intersex and how it affects military service?

2015-06-04T08:05:33-04:00

After a buzzfeed article/video I was educated on the term intersex and discovered just how undereducated most of society is on individuals dealing with identifying as such.

Many people have weighed in on the topic of transgendered individuals serving in the military. Some are in favor of it and some are not.

Regardless of personal choices the culture of the military has always been one of service and with that being said based on this new information there are probably a number of intersex individuals in the military today.

The link to the video is below:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/lizzwarner/what-its-like-to-be-intersex

Are you familiar with the term and its differences from transgender or the fact that it is not a choice? (Rhetorical: feel free to watch the video if the answer is no)

Comments that are racially, sexually, or otherwise charged causes internal friction and can affect the levels of trust between service members. The idea that being PC is not important because of the "we're all 'tough' and who cares if anyone is offended just worry about 'Merica" mentality is the same thought process that leads to a number of suicides, domestic violence, friendly fire, etc. (IMHO) due to our identity as people being subject to some action figure alter ego. We the servicemembers are a part of "We the People", we ARE America.

Please feel free to weigh in on the following questions:
Does a lack of education when approaching these potentially controversial topics put us at risk if those who we are serving alongside do not feel safe? Do we have the same responsibility to protect the integrity of the armed forces regarding gender identity as we do regarding issues like sexual assault?

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2015 8:14 AM

2015-06-04T08:14:36-04:00

So there are 51 gender identification options on Facebook and several acronyms that can be found on the internet that are designed to not offend people. At what point do we say that this is getting out of hand and going above and beyond our core mission to fight the nation's wars? We need simple solutions and at some point there needs to be a line drawn as to where we stand so we can move out and put our energies towards our main mission. We cannot accommodate every expert's opinion, every country's consensus, every special interest group, or each individual service member.

I cannot stress enough that it is impossible to have a group or society where no one is offended or excluded without also taking away the personal liberties or rights of everyone in that group.

And yes, we do have the responsibility to protect everyone regarding issues like sexual assault. Who you prefer to sleep with or what your body looks like or what hormones you inject into yourself have no bearing on the fact that you were the victim of a crime.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 4 at 2015 8:46 AM

2015-06-04T08:46:25-04:00

I was offended that my RDC in boot camp called me "captain cavity" but I could do exactly zippy-zap about it. If you are confronted by the enemy, I am willing to bet they would love to offend you. Once you allow them to offend you, you have given them power over you, and the last thing we want is to give the enemy more power. I think there is a similar lesson in Miamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings involving showing up to duels late to offend and enrage his opponent and effect their ability to perform in the fight. Consequently he won the sword fight by clubbing the man to death with a stick. Where does getting offended get poor Sasaki Kojiro?

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jun 4 at 2015 8:48 AM

2015-06-04T08:48:19-04:00

The public definition of "diversity" is incorrect. Diversity seems to mean accept everyone and everything regardless of one's personal feelings or YOU are the one who is wrong.

True diversity ALSO means that those of us with opinions AGAINST something are accepted too. If I feel a certain way about a certain group I am not wrong because I don't support it, but this point of view is exactly what all the diversity advocates are opposed to.

You can't please all the people all the time but that is what society wants. It's impossible. I'm sorry, I cannot accept everything and everybody simply because it's politically correct - another oxymoron of a term that is overused by the overly-sensitive crowd.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jun 4 at 2015 8:58 AM

2015-06-04T08:58:36-04:00

What does intersex have to do with the sighting and working end of an M16? Nothing.

Response by SSG John Erny made Jun 4 at 2015 9:56 AM

2015-06-04T09:56:55-04:00

Never heard of the term before but I did know that chromosomes can be mutated such that they are not the typical XY for males and XX for females. As I recall and XYY male can be very aggressive either as a professional or or as a criminal and that some outstanding female athletes have variations in their chromosomal make up.
I do not think that this topics is of much concern because it is likely rare compared to the overall make up of the armed forces. There are a lot of genetic conditions that can affect people, so it is a matter of just using common sense an not offending people for who they are. In some of the more severe forms of the condition I doubt that the person would be able to serve in uniform anyway, for example Klinefelter syndrome and Turners syndrome.

Response by TSgt Kenneth Ellis made Jun 4 at 2015 11:30 AM

2015-06-04T11:30:27-04:00

No mater what people think scholars write, there are only two genders.