If I were to tell you that the repeal of DADT was flawed you would probably give me a funny look and ask why. Considering I identify as a queer transwoman you would think that I would be all for the repeal. Though, it's not about what happened with the repeal but what didn't happen. From
December 21, 1993 until September 20, 2011 gays, lesbians, and
bisexuals were explicitly
not allowed to openly serve in the military. The
arguments that were used to keep gays out were flaky and based on bigoted and dated views from uptight ignorant conservatives. Thankfully, this
institutional discrimination pertaining to sexual orientation has
been stopped at least officially. However, transgender people are
still restricted from military service due to other Department of
Defense restrictions
on gender identity. What was thought of as a
legislative victory that would allow everyone to serve in the
military, and likely labeled as an LGBT legislative victory, was
really just an LGB victory. This is now viewed as an issue over and
done with by too many activists.
Stories like Morgan
Wade’s beg to differ. She came into the Navy
presenting as male. Later on, she discovered she was a transgender
female and also began dating. She came out to her girlfriend who
ended up being very supportive, and got married in 2007. Afterwords
Morgan began taking hormones to transition; she went to therapists
and doctors outside the military’s network so as not to be caught
on to. This was however risky due to it being against the rules and
punishable by administrative discharge. After being on hormones she
started struggling to deal with the misogynistic jokes in the
locker-room, Morgan left the Navy and the sense of pride that came
with the job she loved, along with a possibility of a large
promotion. She later after Don’t Ask Don’t Tells’ repeal Morgan
applied to be let back in and resume doing what she loved, diving.
After many tests to test her psychologically and mentally, they all
came back giving her a clean bill of mental health. She was however
denied acceptance into the Navy, the reason for being denied was left
blank. As I mentioned earlier, there are restrictions on gender identity. I would love to get into what these are so I could pick away at what exactly is a problem however these regulations seem to be ambiguous (though they are explicitly mentioned in Wikipedia) yet enforced. It is likely due to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders) classifying non-cis identified people as having Gender Identity Disorder. Yet this does not explain Why Morgan was still denied acceptance into the military after numerous tests pertaining to her psychological well-being turned out just fine. As mentioned earlier this is seen as a case of
discrimination that is over and done with. Trans* acceptance in our
military, as well as other LGBT civil rights laws (employment
discrimination comes to mind) requires more attention. We can’t
disingenuously slap a T on LGB and call it good, we need real
language in legislation to stop discrimination based on gender
identity in our military.
A rule to help trans individuals in the armed forces is difficult to think up. Men and Women have very different roles in the military, until recently women were not allowed to enter combat. It would be difficult as everything in the military is so black and white, it is tough to work on laws for the trans individuals that occupy a gray area to the military.
ReplyDeleteA rule to help trans* individuals is hard to think up? How about simply not kicking people out because of their gender identity. Also male and female roles in combat have for awhile now been converging. Despite the official change happening only recently women have been involved in front line combat for awhile now. This isn't to say that women haven't been harassed, but that's a separate issue.
DeleteIt may seem like integrating openly trans* people in the military would be a problem. However, over 30% of military personal asked before the repeal of DADT thought having openly serving gays in the military would be a problem. I'm pretty sure allowing people to be honest and open about themselves can only help for unit cohesion. If people are educated about trans*, much like safe space training then it shouldn't be an issue.
There are many things that go on inside the walls of the military that I don't agree with, and this is one of them. Trans* individuals should be able to serve their country and be respected for their bravery. Then again, women are being abused inside the military by their commanding officer, so it seems like many military personnel want to keep it a male dominated field. I feel like it is going to be a long time before some kind of legislation is going to be passed to help the trans* community in this area, but hopefully it will eventually happen.
ReplyDeleteI understand and do not mean to lessen the importance of sexual violence towards women in the military. Although it is also important I think since many *many* transwomen enter the military to "butch it, butch it up" (while presenting as male), this is all too common of a story. After coming out these transwomen like Morgan Wade and Calpernia Addams are kicked and denied benefits for their service.
ReplyDeleteI am aware however that getting change in the armed forces is not trivial. The military as a whole is generally more conservative than the general public. Also since WWII we the American people have been increasingly less involved with those serving. We used to buy bonds, pay higher "war taxes", and conserve resources (mainly food). Also a higher percentage of the public used to be involved in the service. Nowadays, it isn't surprising if a given American doesn't know more than one or two military or ex-military personal out of all their friends and family. We don't make the aforementioned sacrifices anymore and in place of that we feel guilt for our lack of involvement and compensate for that by having unbridled, unquestioning support for those in the armed forces. So when things happen like systematic rape or discrimination we don't jump on the opportunity to fix the problem.
I feel as though progress in any case is slow and you have to take one step at a time. It is difficult for people to understand and relate to something they do not feel or experience. I believe that this is one of our greatest flaws as humans, we know who we are and how our life is but we do not always take a second to think about another person's life and their wants and needs.
ReplyDeleteTo be blunt, the repeal of DADT was a step. We were left out of that step.
DeleteI agree with Ashley... This isn't even a step forward for trans* people. It would be like saying that the law allowing interracial marriage was a step forward for gay rights. It had nothing to do with people in same-sex relationships, and those people didn't even find a voice until 20-30 years later, where they now have to start that battle for themselves from scratch.
DeleteI think "one step at a time" is something that can only be said by those who aren't part of the oppressed group. The point is, excuses for excluding a group are just that-- excuses.
ReplyDeleteThe DSM's classification of gender identity disorder is just one of it's many problems.
I actually talked to a recruiter on campus last semester about the repeal of DADT and the issues surrounding trans* soldiers in the military; the reason I was given why trans* people are still not allowed in and won't be allowed in is because "trans* people are not medically fight to serve." My jaw hit the floor over how ignorant this person was surrounding what being transgender* actually means.
ReplyDeleteBut alas, the T keeps getting thrown under the pass and used as a bartering tool to get protections for sexual orientations with the promise that "they'll come back for trans*." It's just disgusting that people are fighting for equality while simultaneously supporting oppression.
I think your discussion with the recruiter just goes to show not only are trans* people not allowed in but the rules surrounding the denial are ambiguous and fuzzy. You were told it's due to being unfit to serve. Morgan from the story I mentioned wasn't given a reason after rigorous tests and previous experience proving otherwise. Thanks for commenting Whit.
Deletewow! good blog! You're a very good writer and you really know your stuff! This blog is very informative and current. I really like how the illustration included in the bottom visually sums up what you're trying to say! Very effective! Intersex and trans* individuals are marginalized and obviously treated very unfairly. I don't understand why people can't just be identified as humans. The fact that we have different classifications of humans is ridiculous and the fact that we consider individuals with gender "disorders" is even worse. People are not gender disordered, in my opinion. THey simply are not fitting into the strict mold that society wants them to. DADT is flawed in this way, and Im glad you shed some light on it.
ReplyDeleteMuch like Court said, you definitely know you're stuff and are well educated on the topic. It was super interesting to read, because I have heard a lot about DADT and controversial stories surrounding the military and members of the LGBT community. I was not as educated as you are though and I'm glad you brought up some a relevant and interesting topic. I liked that at the end of this blog you state very strongly what we need to do, but even more so, how can action be taken to change the "status quo" and the current issues? I think that it's important to recognize the wrongs, but also have a call to action. Think about what we can do, especially for those of us who are not in the military or directly connected, to make a change or get the conversation started.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon really hit the nail on the head! Keep pushing the issue like all that have come before and hopefully we human beings will all get there eventually. Thanks for so much good information, Ashley!
ReplyDeleteVery well thought out post. This may sound ignorant, but being a heterosexual person, this topic does cross your mind. Thanks for opening up and sharing, otherwise Im not sure how long it would be before I heard about this. I just assumed that the recent lift covered this category, boy was I wrong. Your topic defiantly opened up a lot for me.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is great. It really shows light on how people treat the T* as silent. Most steps forward are for the LGB. I hope that our generation does more to word on this.
ReplyDeleteThis was an issue that I did not know much about before reading yours and others' blogs about the topic. I agree that trans people do need more of a voice and the same rights as other GLB individuals. They should not be "left behind" and should instead be included in new legislation.
ReplyDeleteThis was very well said and seems as though a lot of thought was put into it This is definitely a topic that hardly anyone talks about. A lot of people are scared to talk about this topic.
ReplyDelete