Kevin Zamora

Massey

ENC1101

December 3rd 2017

Transgender Ban

The willingness to serve for one's country has never been limited to one type of person.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals have served in the military for decades and have done so

in the shadows as a result of the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy. This policy forced thousands of

people to be unrightfully discharged because of their sexual orientation. The rescindment of this

policy was seen as a step forward for the LGBT community, until, Donald trump announced his

publicly known Transgender Ban. This ban was now targeting an entirely different population

within the armed forces and once again rekindled the controversy.

Rescinding this new policy should be done because transgender individuals are not

incapable of serving, do not require any more necessary medical needs than those of women

and diabetics, and because unit cohesion will not be an issue. The problems associated with the

inclusion of transgender persons in the military are easily flawed and further alienate an entire

class of people. The country would benefit more from their service and by looking closely at the

facts we can begin to assess the true impact they have as far as medical costs and role in the

military.

Transgender individuals are no different from those who currently serve in the military.

The argument that they are in any way incapable of serving is invalid and baseless. In fact,

estimates suggest that approximately 15,500 transgender individuals are serving on active duty

or in the Guard or Reserve forces. Additionally, there are an estimated 134,300 transgender
individuals who are veterans or are retired from Guard or Reserve service (Gates & Herman 1).

All of these individuals who have served and are still serving contributed in ways that are

immeasurable. The role that they played was vital in the fight for our freedom and it is unjust to

assume otherwise. Due to recent events, those who are transgender may not be permitted entry

and if they do somehow enter will be forced to remain hidden or face consequences such as

discharge or harassment.

Being transgender does not change the reasons why someone may want to join the

military and for many transgender individuals it is a away to become accustomed to their true

identity as they are drawn to military service and its ethos of masculine values (Yerke, Adam

F., and Valory Mitchell). Feeling comfortable with their identity can help these people become

who they feel they are and ease the transition.

Another argument that is used to oppose

the inclusion of transgender in the military is

that transgenderism is a mental illness. Years

ago, the validity of this argument was backed up

by the American Psychiatric Society decision to

include transgenderism as a diagnoses on the

DSM-V. Today, the DSM-V is updated and uses a term that reflects more accurately a situation

that can be associated with a mental illness without making a transgender person viewed as ill.

The American Psychological Association has noted on their website that A psychological state

is considered a mental disorder only if it causes significant distress or disability. Many

transgender people do not experience their gender as distressing or disabling, which implies that

identifying as transgender does not constitute a mental disorder. This makes the opposition's
argument completely invalid because of the failure to prove that transgender individuals are all

mentally ill in some way. More importantly, the experiences for every transgender person is

different and ...Since not every transgender person experiences significant distress or disability,

and since these symptoms might not actually be caused by transgenderism itself, there is a strong

implication that being transgender does not constitute a mental disorder per se. (Ross 201).

Recent reports detailing the specifics of the Transgender Ban have cited that the policy

was a way to take the financial burden that transgender medical costs place on the countries

armed forces. President Donald Trump tweeted that transgender americans would no longer be

able to serve in the U.S military in any capacity because of tremendous medical costs and the

disruption their service would cause (Klimas et al.). A survey published by the Williams

Institute showed that of NTDS respondents who served in the military, 18 percent go to VA

clinics or hospitals to receive care and 58 percent go to non VA doctors offices for their health

care (Herman and Harrison-Quintana 7). Reasons listed showed fear of discrimination and how

doctors would respond to caring for a transgender service member. This depicts the problem with

the argument that they are a financial burden when most of them do not go to VA clinics.

Choosing not to go to non VA doctors is a small example of how difficult it is for transgender

individuals to show their true identity, especially with medical professionals who must know the

truth to give optimal care.

Not all transgender persons want or need transition care and their medical needs can be

addressed in the same way as other military medical policies. Policies for oral contraceptives,

pregnant servicewomen, and diabetics are policies that can be used as precedents in establishing

policies that could help address transgender medical needs without having to ban them from

serving. The amount of transgender people who would need to take hormones would be
significantly lower than the amount of women who need to take oral contraceptives. As with

diabetics who require insulin, the military could require that transgender persons who take

hormones only be deployed to areas where the hormones could be properly stored or where

appropriate medical care can be assured. This would allow the medical needs to be cared for

and would still be used significantly less than diabetics would use insulin (Ross 198).

Even if rates of veteran status are elevated in the transgender community, this would not

necessarily translate into a similar proportion of transvets who use VA services as there are

individual difference characteristics that can influence VA usage.(Shipherd et al 80). It is

important to note that there are an estimated 1,320 to 6,630 trans service members in the active

component out of approximately 1.3 million which is less than 0.51%. Out of those who are

transgender, less than 2% will receive medical transition. What is even more surprising is data

recently uncovered that shows that the Defense Health Agency, DoD actually spent $41.6

million on Viagra and $84.24 million total on erectile dysfunction prescriptions last year.

meaning that the cost being spent on erectile dysfunction prescriptions is ten times more than the

projected cost of covering transition-related healthcare (Quora). According to The invisible

Army those countries who are inclusive to transgender persons do not report any financial

burden due to the medical treatments needed by these individuals (Ross 211).

The disruption stated by President Donald Trump is merely an opinion, by looking at

other countries as an example, we can see that transgender persons can in fact serve their country

without causing any disturbance to unit cohesion. A prime example is a Canadian study that

found that canadian militarys repeal of its gay ban had no impact on military performance,

readiness, cohesion, or morale. (Ross 204). Unit cohesion should not be hindered by the

presence of transgender individuals who are working toward the same goal as everyone else in
the unit. Allowing them to be a part of the military and work together with other americans

would set an example of how all americans are equal and how those who serve are willing to

sacrifice their lives for the sake of everyone's freedom. Ending DADT-like military policies has

resulted in no effect on morale, cohesion or enlistment in several countries and can serve as

examples for the United States (Burks 611).

Both men and women are allowed to serve in the military and the only thing that changes

in someone who is transgender is their gender identity, making their gender identity irrelevant

when it comes to the goal of the unit. By excluding an entire class of people from the military the

government is only hurting the cohesion of this country. Other countries have allowed

transgender individuals to participate in the military. By not allowing them to enlist, we may

force those who are currently serving or somehow sneak past the ban to hide in the shadows and

be dishonest with their unit. This dishonesty can actually hinder the trust between the team and

therefore lead to the disruptance. However, by lifting this band and sending the message that

they are welcome, they may feel encouraged to be honest and open with those they serve along

with and not let this be a distraction. Allison Ross explains in her journal that

..... disclosure of sexual orientation led to improved unit social and task cohesion, but

concealment led to decreased unit social and task cohesion. This finding coincides with

areas outside of the military, such as the workplace, where disclosure of sexual

orientation is considered to promote positive personal and job-related outcomes. (209).

By allowing people, not just transgender persons, to feel welcome where they results in better

environment to work in and more importantly serve in. Creating an environment where people

feel safe to be who they are unites the team and the relationships they build with each other.

Being secretive can hinder the team unity, disrupting the team dynamic which is crucial in the
armed forces. The success that other countries have had in integrating transgender persons to

their armed forces serve as great examples for our country to follow. Currently, there are 19

countries, including Thailand who do not allow transgender to serve in combat roles, that allow

transgender personnel in their military and some have chosen to place certain restrictions such as

limiting the amount of care or even removing the care altogether to ensure that an entire class of

people are not alienated.

The inclusion of transgender individuals in the military do not pose the problems that

have been presented by the opposition. Instead, it is the new Don't ask, don't tell and will

continue to impose on the rights of another class of individuals who simply want to fight for their

country. These men and women are not incapable of serving in any way and should not be

characterized as an illness. They also do not pose any bigger financial burden than a pregnant

women or diabetic member would.

Finally, the idea that unit cohesion would suffer because of the presence of transgender

individuals is discredited by the examples of other countries who do not have a ban. Dont Ask,

Dont tell was a policy put into place that encouraged individuals to hide in fear that they may

face repercussions for their sexual orientation. This new Transgender Ban not only sends the

message to stay in the closet but tells people they do not have the same rights as every other

american and the country they choose to sacrifice their life for does not support them in their

journey to feel more comfortable with their true identity. To ensure a country that upholds its

values, the transgender ban must be repealed.

 Works Cited

American Psychological Association. "Answers To Your Questions About Transgender People,

Gender Identity, And Gender Expression." American Psychological Association, 2017,

http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.aspx.

Burks, Derek J. "Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Victimization In The Military: An Unintended

Consequence Of Don't Ask, Don't Tell?." American Psychologist, vol 66, no. 7, 2011,

pp. 604-613. American Psychological Association (APA), doi:10.1037/a0024609.

Gates, Gary J., and Jody L. Herman. "Transgender Military Service In The United States -

Williams Institute." Williams Institute, 2014,

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/military-related/us-transgender-military-

service/.

Herman, Jody L., and Jack Harrison-Quintana. "Still Serving In Silence: Transgender Service

Members And Veterans In The National Transgender Discrimination Survey - Williams

Institute." Williams Institute, 2013,

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/military-related/still-serving-in-silence-

lgbtq-policy-journal-2013/.

Klimas, Jacqueline et al. "What To Know About Trump's Transgender Military Ban." Politico,

2017, https://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/26/transgender-military-ban-how-the-

policy-could-impact-current-troops-240987.

Quora. "How Much Does The U.S. Military Actually Spend On Transgender Soldiers?."

Forbes.Com, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/07/27/how-much-does-the-

u-s-military-actually-spend-on-transgender-soldiers/#13a1ccf0ca6e.
Reuters. "Trans Rights Are Human Rights." 2017,

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/trump-signs-memo-banning-transgender-

military-recruits-170826003421108.html.

Ross, Allison. "The Invisible Army: Why The Military Needs To Rescind Its Ban On

Transgender Service Members." S. Cal. Interdisc, vol 23, 2014, p. 185. HEIN,

http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/scid23&div=9&id=&page

=.

Shipherd, Jillian C. et al. "Male-To-Female Transgender Veterans And VA Health Care

Utilization." International Journal Of Sexual Health, vol 24, no. 1, 2012, pp. 78-87.

Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/19317611.2011.639440.

"Transgender American Veterans Association." Transgender American Veterans Association,

2017, http://transveteran.org/.

Yerke, Adam F., and Valory Mitchell. "Transgender People In The Military: Don't Ask? Don't

Tell? Don't Enlist!." Journal Of Homosexuality, vol 60, no. 2-3, 2013, pp. 436-457.

Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/00918369.2013.744933.