APNewsBreak: Military heads want transgender enlistment hold

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Associated Press

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Just now

WASHINGTON (AP) Military chiefs will seek a six-month delay before letting transgender people enlist in their services, officials said Friday. ... After meetings this week, the service leaders hammered out an agreement that rejected Army and Air Force requests for a two-year wait and reflected broader concerns that a longer delay would trigger criticism on Capitol Hill, officials familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.

The new request for a delay will go to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for a final decision, said the officials, who werent authorized to discuss the internal deliberations publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. ... Transgender servicemembers have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban, declaring it the right thing to do. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagons personnel system.

But Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to newly join the military, if they meet physical, medical and other standards, and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months. The military chiefs had said they needed time to study the issue and its effects on the readiness of the force before taking that step.

Officials said Friday that the chiefs believe the extra half-year would give the four military services time to gauge if currently serving transgender troops are facing problems and what necessary changes the military bases might have to make.

Read more: https://apnews.com/d1af792f779947f3b265d94d2bcdab02

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Officials: U.S. military chiefs to seek 6-month delay before allowing transgender individuals to enlist.

Link to tweet

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BREAKING: Officials: U.S. military chiefs are seeking 6-month delay before allowing transgender people to enlist in services.

Link to tweet

[Fatemah2774]

1. I read

A transgender person graduated West Point and another from the Air Force Academy but we're not assigned to active service.

As a Navy vet and transgender person if I was younger with this policy in place, I would return.

[samir.g]

2. Mattis is a neanderthal

Of course he wants to keep the military as non-diverse as possible.

[Persisted]

4. I'd watch Mattis and Gillibrand first before making that claim. nt

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Thanks for writing. Welcome to DU. NT

[Persisted]

9. Thank you. I've been here before. Took a long break after watching ODS

set in after 2008. Then couldn't remember any of my sign in info.

I completely blame Trump and his utter fucking dereliction in filling key military posts for this. Out transgender youth need to feel that they are safe and have the same opportunities that everyone else has.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. Cool story bro! nt

[hack89]

12. You are talking about a man who demanded this troops take cultural sensivity training

before going to Iraq. He is one of the most urban and intellectual men you will ever meet - not many commanders distribute required reading lists to his men.

[PeacefulPeavey]

15. Not even close

I wouldn't say that. I was fearing the worst when tRump put him in change, but after checking out his history I don't think there is a better man for the job. Did you know one of his (many) nicknames is "The Warrior Monk"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mattis

This is a guy who values intellectualism above almost everything else.

He may be a lover of the art of war, but calling this guy a neanderthal is hardly accurate.

[Matthew28]

3. Dumb

And you'd think also unconstitutional. How the hell can they pick on one group of people like this?

[Persisted]

6. Not unconstitutional.....we don't have a Secretary of the

Navy and other positions filled so there may be very pragmatic reasons due to Trump's dereliction and neglect.

Unfair? Possibly. Frustrating? Yes. Let's hope this delay is put to good use, insuring safety, retraining of recruitment officers, and basic training staff.

[Corgigal]

5. Have these tough guys

read the Washington Post today? You would think they should have better things to do. Example, do you follow a foreign asset President if he orders you to......

Pick a nightmare above.

[Persisted]

7. I blame Trump's dereliction and neglect. Key positions in Defense

And in the military directly are not filled.

I hope this delay means that the military is taking the safety of their transgender recruits seriously.

[mr_lebowski]

10. I think that same concern had a lot to do with why DADT took a long time to get repealed ...

Hey, in an ideal world, everyone just 'conforms' to our Liberal values of acceptance of differences, equality, etc.

In MANY cases, I don't mind at all if it's somewhat 'forced upon' people who don't want to accept them ... voting booths, right to have/keep jobs, school curriculum's ... even MARRIAGE ... and other things of that nature?

Hell yeah. I'll go to bat for 'you NEED to change/accept' this liberal notion, because it's CLEARLY 'the right thing to do', all f***ing day long.

The military, however ... I have to draw the line somewhat, and am willing to defer to the experts. Unless given evidence to the contrary, I'm willing to assume that if the Brass is saying the Military is truly not 'ready' for XYZ 'social change I want to see' ... they are looking out for the safety of the greatest number of Americans possible IN that assessment, and that once SOCIETY has changed sufficiently ... THEIR policy will also naturally and organically change. That's pretty much what happened with DADT, and I'm sure also happened with minorities becoming integrated and similar changes in the past.

Its one thing to shove 'equality' down the Southern KKK's throat ... but it's something else to try to shove it down the Army's throat is all I'm sayin'.

[Oneironaut]

11. Gays and Lesbians will be next.

[hack89]

13. No. Too many senior people that are gay and lesbian.

they are not going to kick out generals/admirals just for being gay.

[Oneironaut]

16. I wouldn't put anything past them.

Especially if Pence gets in. At the very least, don't ask don't tell might be in danger of coming back.