Pentagon Lifts Ban on Transgender Service Members Serving Openly

100% in agreement.

As long as the person can do the job,be it flipping burgers or flipping switches to send weapons down range, this whole issue really doesn't matter. I am also quite tired ofone side saying they have rights, and the other side crying about it being shoved down their throats. Inthe end,we are people. Americans, who are serving in an all voluntary force. Until there is cause individually to not like them , we should accept them ad fellow sevice men or women. If I am tucked up.under a retainer wall, Im not going to care if the person on the saw or grenade launcher or flying that airsupportis gay,transgender,purple,wears green nail polish or anything else but their marksmanship.

PO1 John Y. - Fair enough. I, as well as many others, don't believe it's a choice... and that's a point that I am happy to just agree to disagree with you on. I certainly respect your view, and there are a lot of people that agree with it.

Sgt Chris Lima - People don't choose to be mentally ill.

I love that!

SSG John Thornton - that's correct as well

LTC Stephen F. - Thank you for sharing that first hand experience!

SPC Andrew Griffin - I have mentioned this in other posts and I think it make sense to mention it again to put this in perspective. When I was assigned to the Pentagon after being mobilized post-9-11-2001 and after I demobilized and was a consultant and reserve officer supporting HQDA G-4 there was a retired Army LTC man who had gone through gender reassignment surgery in the early 21st century. I am a Christian who listens to what God tells me on a daily basis. I noticed this woman was ostracized by both the men and women in the office [military, DA civilian and consultants alike] When she went to the women's room, other women left and nobody went in. People turned their back when she went past. God reminded me that each person is created in the image of God and worthy of respect and that each human has fallen short of the glory of God so none of us should lord it over somebody else. I did not work with the woman; but, I went out of my way to be kind and respectful to her including saying hello, etc. My greetings seemed to shock her at first as well as the others who noticed. She soon warmed up and smiled when she saw me. We did not become close friends but I did my best to be faithful to what God told me to do and I trust my example helped others accept her.
SGT Forrest Stewart SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas MAJ David Wallace SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL CPT L S CW2 Lindsey Muller Sgt Chris Lima

And if it goes that far, what keeps somebody from saying, "I feel like I was born to be black, white, native American,..." etc. They could get melanin injections or whatever Michael Jackson did, have eyelid surgery to look more Asian, and so on... Soon we won't know who is who, what is what, we will all be asexual and gray. Maybe this is what John Lennon was thinking when he wrote, "Imagine". Just an absurd thought