A lot of noise was made after President Trump erroneously stated on Twitter that transgendered individuals were banned from military service.
I won’t rehash the details, other than to say he made this grand announcement without consulting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, blindsiding them with the controversy.
And also, that I completely agree with him.
People with mental illnesses should not be put in the deeply stressful position of the combat field, nor should American tax dollars go to pay for elective surgeries, such as “gender reassignment” surgeries that are nothing but cosmetic fixes, on the same level as getting breast augmentation.
Lawmakers were quick to condemn Trump’s hasty and unexpected Twitter declaration, stating that a tweet is not policy.
The Pentagon has said that until there is a specific directive from the president, the policy remains the same.
One Cabinet member, however, is standing firmly with President Trump on the issue.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry, a veteran, himself, spoke to reporters on Friday and offered his support.
“I totally support the president in his decision,” the former Texas governor reportedly said. “The idea that the American people need to be paying for these types of operations to change your sex is not very wise from a standpoint of economics.”
“I think the president makes some good decisions about making sure that we have a force that is capable,” he said.
And this would be one of them.
People struggling with gender dysphoria have enough to worry about, without worrying about how to get the steady supply of hormones they need to maintain their gender ruse on the battlefield. As such, their presence in a combat unit could become untenable to themselves, as well as their unit mates, who are relying on them to be 100 percent in the game.
If they have special medical needs, which they will, if they begin transitioning while in the service, then they need to keep it at home.
Meanwhile, a new Reuters poll shows that 58 percent of Americans polled believe transgendered persons should be able to serve.
I’m wondering what that number would look like if they polled only active military.
In the meantime, however, the Pentagon awaits further guidance, and I’m hoping this isn’t one of those cases where Trump tosses something out on social media, then forgets about it.
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