Transgender Service Members: Serving in Silence

Sexuality really has nothing to do with transgender.

i understand that. the point is no one should be judged by it. being transgender or gay doesnt define ones character

Agreed...

What are you saying?  

FYI, the term "tr*nny" is as offensive to the transgender community as the word "n*gger" is to the black community. Therefore, you sound just like many people did when racial equality in the military was being considered. The only reason that transgender people would have trouble at doing their job is because people like you can not seem to get over your own bias.

I went thru both schools its required for all special ops I respect the fact that you were a river rat but what you said about all enlisted personell going thru sere or sar school is ridiculous its a waste of dod money maybe 10% of navy personell are ever boots on ground guess its kinda hard to get captured on a ship while I have respect for the navy docs we had with us and the few special ops navy the majority of navy personell have never been in a fire fight and couldn't operate a weapon if handed one they only qualify with a side arm in navy bootcamp which by the way is like going to kiddie camp compared to paris island I said you are outdated while I respect the fact you were in vietnam times have changed just as weapons and combat have I was in the jungles of panma so i know about jungle warfare can you say the same about close quarters combat going from building to building fighting an enemy that isn't scaed of dying that actually wants to die so they can go to allah how do instill fear into an enemy like that and try fighting an enemy that doesn't wear a uniform with the possibility of shooting women and or children suicide bombers or fighting an enemy in Somalia high on cot which is like methamphetamine it makes them crazy while all combat is unique to its time period and terrain times have changed chief either get on board or live in the past as you seem to be trying to relive your glory days old man you need to pull up a rocking chair and enjoy old age

I almost put in thirty chief and would've if combat injuries hadn't given me a 100% total and permanent disability and being trangender isn't a disability try looking up Kristen beck navy seal from team 6 who was with the team when they got binladen she was part of the most elite team our military has and is proudly transgendered I am quite sure you cant compare to her or even come close to her qualifications

CPO Rick Felty I also respect your service. In your above comment, you mention that everyone should go through SERE and SAR school... like GySgt Woolard said, that would be a waste of resources. We all have our specialties in the military. It's the folks like us in the intel field who keep people like you safe in hostile environments. And how dare you call GySgt Woolard a whussie... you have absolutely no idea what she has been through or what you're talking about. Is that the best comment that your brain can come up with? Is that really your brain working at its maximum? Sad... very sad!

I agree with SSgt Nicole Biscoe if it wasn't for people like her there would be no coordinated rescue of downed airmen or up to date intel on hostile forces all branches of the military depend on each other times and combat have changed considerably since Vietnam chief don't let your private phobias cloud your judgement your predjudice is well noted

CPO Rick Felty,- You ask "What does the marine in Subic Bay PHILIPPINES. That killed a transgender tell you ?"

Well, on one level it tells me that the incident would never have happened if the transgendered person hadn't felt it necessary to conceal the fact that they were transgendered.

AT another level it tells me that the Marine couldn't tell the difference between a man and a woman (which implies that any FTM would have been able to serve alongside the Marine and the Marine wouldn't even have known it.

At yet another level, it tells me that the Marine had SERIOUS "impulse control" problems and probably wasn't all that safe to allow ready access to loaded weapons.

You also say "... however there is still the issue how to shower, berth them and. The. Feelings of those that are "straight" ..."

My experience has been that a strong WGAS attitude on the part of the LEADERS overcomes 90+% of the problems that the panic mongers gnashed their teeth over and that the troops themselves will deal with another 90+% of the problems which leaves only about 20% of the problems and those tend to be caused by the panic mongers and the people who are so unsure of their own sexuality that they simply can't cope with anything much past "The Idiots' Guide to the Missionary Position After Marriage (Heterosexual Edition) - The Way God Said People Should Have Sex In The Bible".

Personally, I've had the experience of having some male find me sexually desirable enough that they "hit on me" - I've thanked then for the compliment and then simply told them that I didn't swing that way. I've also had the experience of having females 20 years younger than me say (about me and when they didn't realize I could hear them) say "Nice butt." [Yes, Martha, young ladies do talk that way to their friends.] for which compliment I also thanked them. I also have to admit that both caught me unawares as I'm hardly the Adonis type (rumpled Teddy Bear comes closer).

SGT Thomas - The simplest solution is to allow "fully rectified" transgendered people to serve under exactly the same conditions as any other person who has had surgery and requires medication for a medical condition are allowed to serve.

To make that a bit clearer "Under what circumstances would a person who had surgery for hernia repair and who is also a diabetic whose condition is controlled by diet, exercise, and oral medication be allowed to join the US military?"

Then you sleep and shower with them, as an officer how can you state that thisis an ok situation. Where is your sense of respect, dignity and standards of protocol along with military standards toward the military discipline and attitude ?

Hey all. CPO Felty, we were in a long time ago, and there are a lot of things that have changed, or so I am seeing online here. Using our assessments from 40 years ago is a disservice to our younger brothers and sisters. As a younger person I was uninterested in hearing much older veterans talking about "when they were in", and I am pretty sure the younger folks have the same impressions. They are the ones serving now, and know what they will allow and not. As Col Ted MC put it, they will solve 80% of their own problems without us. Remember the easy way to get drugs in the military in the 1960's and 1970's? How about the difference between strac units and slack units and the differences between their results and their casualty rate? Body bags stuffed with drugs? Waiting 3 days for LBJ to decide on what location to bomb after they were long gone? Asking permission from farmers to chase VC on their farms? Come to think of it, the more things change, the more they stay the same...go figure. History is a bitch when you ignore it whenever you're in. Let's take care of our own for a change...