Trump military transgender ban goes ahead **This post was edited by MNHQ**

[Darnsquirrels]

US Supreme Court allows Trump military transgender ban www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46963426

I recently read Caroline Paige's book True Colours on her life in the Air Force, first as a man, and then as a transgender woman. I recommend it for the author's honesty in describing the struggles she had as a child in living as a boy, and the relief she feels when she eventually comes out to her superiors as a transgender woman. The fact that she was able to serve another 16 years in the military is quite remarkable. The initial reaction to her request to stay was not encouraging to say the least, and she did face hostility from some colleagues.

Caroline Paige's struggles to understand why she felt so wrong as a boy are vividly described, and help the reader comprehend why she made the decision to undertake the process of gender reassignment.

www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/true-colours

Some of the side effects from transitioning hormones include affecting a persons mental health and putting a strain on the liver.

If someone is on long term hormones then they will be permanently 'at risk' and unlikely to be deployed, rendering them useless to the military.

Is someone identifies as trans but does not take medication, do they share with what they identify with in single sex accommodation? Do they have to pass the male or female fitness requirements? (Not sure if they're different in the U.S.)

InACloudOfGlitter Those are common sense questions.
I think they are fair to ask. It's a good point about the mental and hepatic strain, but the problem with that is to admit the danger of long term hormones means it becomes more dangerous for kids to go through, so that narrative has to be suppressed.

Otepot that book sounds interesting. There was a time (not so long ago) that I'd have been all over opposing such a ban and people like Caroline would have been who I'd have had in mind.

However there is already a problem with sexual assaults on women in the military and TW like Karen White (and all the other tw in prison for assaulting women which is too long to remember) would concern me greatly these days.

So I'm in the position where I don't agree with a blanket ban and that it should be more nuanced but should take into account psychological history and fitness to serve and must protect biological women.

But since I'm suffering from compassion fatigue after abuse from TRAs I'll settle for 'meh, don't agree with Trumps policy as stated but I've bigger fights to worry about so not going to worry about this one'

It was interesting 2ndWaveFeminist and I was attracted to it because I, along with my twin sister Illyria47 served for four years in the WRAF from 1965 to 1969. Our last posting was to a V bomber station, so a lot of Caroline Paige's descriptions of her basic training and initial postings resonated with me. However, I was disappointed to read at the end of the book that Caroline visits schools as a Stonewall representative, and that she supports Mermaids. I can sort of see why she supports the latter after reading about her severe psychological struggles with her gender identity as a child, but it's sad that she can't see the damage they are doing.

I am GC but don't think there is justifiable reasons for this blanket ban and completely mistrust Trumps intentions.

If they have medical reasons to not be eligible to be deployed then by all means say no but I really don't think that was The Trump administrations aim and therefore I am against this action. As pp said, if that was the case then surely the old legislation would have covered it.

I do however, worry about sexual assault of women in the military and think more needs to be done around safeguarding women in these situations.

From my experiences I never felt unsafe with the transgender woman I worked with and I even shared a room with her. She married a man and so if we want to argue that toss I could have felt more subconscious sharing with a lesbian.

On the flip side I have personal experience of sexual assault in the military. It was at the time set up with shared ablutions between 20 mix sex, mostly male colleagues with only a flimsy white shower curtain to the shower cubicle. Thankfully they're gradually moving to en-suite accommodation.

The facts are that transgender people have been serving in the military for years without people getting het up about it. There are huge issues with sexual assault that have nothing to do with transgender folk.

As for mental health concerns, as I've stated before, the US military have a far wider issue and more troublesome psychiatric issues that they're happy to deploy troops with.