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Celebrate Diversity! Army Considers Easing Policy On Transgender Soldiers…
armytg
The fighting farce is being decimated into a social issue test ground.
Via Stars and Stripes
The decision to discharge transgender soldiers from the Army would be made by a top, senior civilian official under a plan outlined in a draft document obtained by USA TODAY.
The move would make it more difficult to remove such troops from the service.
Instead of being made by lower-level Army officers, the memorandum says, the decision to discharge transgender soldiers would be made by the assistant secretary of the Army for personnel. In all services, transgender troops can be automatically dismissed from service on medical grounds once they are identified.
“Assigning responsibility for discharge decisions to a senior official would be a welcome step toward inclusive policy, but transgender troops will still have to serve in silence until more is done to dismantle the ban,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, which has published research on sexual orientation issues in the military.[…]
The Army memo is the latest move toward changing the Pentagon’s policy toward transgender troops. Last week, the Army, for the first time, agreed to allow hormone treatment for Chelsea Manning, a transgender soldier convicted of divulging national security secrets to WikiLeaks. Manning, previously known as Bradley, is serving a 35-year sentence at the Fort Leavenworth, Kan., military prison. In December, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said the ban on transgender troops should be lifted.
The Pentagon does not track the number of transgender troops it has discharged. About 24 transgender troops have been discharged from service, according to a report released last year by the Palm Center. It estimated that 15,000 transgender troops serve.
Under current policy, commanders at the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel or colonel could initiative dismissal proceedings. The new policy would move that decision to a far higher level.
armytg
The fighting farce is being decimated into a social issue test ground.
Via Stars and Stripes
The decision to discharge transgender soldiers from the Army would be made by a top, senior civilian official under a plan outlined in a draft document obtained by USA TODAY.
The move would make it more difficult to remove such troops from the service.
Instead of being made by lower-level Army officers, the memorandum says, the decision to discharge transgender soldiers would be made by the assistant secretary of the Army for personnel. In all services, transgender troops can be automatically dismissed from service on medical grounds once they are identified.
“Assigning responsibility for discharge decisions to a senior official would be a welcome step toward inclusive policy, but transgender troops will still have to serve in silence until more is done to dismantle the ban,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, which has published research on sexual orientation issues in the military.[…]
The Army memo is the latest move toward changing the Pentagon’s policy toward transgender troops. Last week, the Army, for the first time, agreed to allow hormone treatment for Chelsea Manning, a transgender soldier convicted of divulging national security secrets to WikiLeaks. Manning, previously known as Bradley, is serving a 35-year sentence at the Fort Leavenworth, Kan., military prison. In December, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said the ban on transgender troops should be lifted.
The Pentagon does not track the number of transgender troops it has discharged. About 24 transgender troops have been discharged from service, according to a report released last year by the Palm Center. It estimated that 15,000 transgender troops serve.
Under current policy, commanders at the ranks of major, lieutenant colonel or colonel could initiative dismissal proceedings. The new policy would move that decision to a far higher level.
