Should the US Military allow people who are transgendered to serve?

Only if they're finished all their surgeries, all their hormone treatment etc.

Perhaps further research should be conducted? Live and death situations are no joke, but if the docs give the go then they should be allowed. And that is that.

as long as they meet the necessary physical requirements then I see nothing wrong with them serving

I'll have to go with no on this one. We don't have the money to buy speciality weapons and boots to suit their needs. We have to go with the one size fits all method that's worked and charmed generations.

I can only agree with that if they gave the thumbs up due to verified research and not political pressure alone.

I don't care as long as they have what it takes to do the job and do it right.

Yes put them on the frontlines lol...., just saying. Seriously though if they have finished there hormone stuff and are of sound mind then yes, the more the merrier. If they want to serve there country then fair enough. But I reckon they would get severely bullied and alienated.

Why would transgendered people need different equipment?

Seriously? The article itself basically says that the ban was based on outdated medical ideas, proven by existing medical professionals to be baseless and that the policy's actively detrimental to performance, of course they should throw it out.

Sure

I can see it now. You will end up with a transgender going on a killing spree due to being bullied everyday.

The ban was mostly based on the idea that people who identified as a different gender than their birth sex had mental issues. While the mental issue may not be an issue with everybody who is transgendered, there is still the issue with people who are taking hormones on a regular basis.

If you are in a warzone and supply lines get cut there is no guarantee you will be able to get a resupply of hormones before you run out. It isn't just people being on hormones who are looked that way, almost any medical condition that requires you to take medication on a regular basis has the potential to make you ineligible to serve.

My guess is if the military does start allowing people who identify as transgendered to serve they will start out only allowing people who aren't on any type of current treatment.

Regardless of whether or not you are joking, opponents of allowing transgendered troops in can always bring up the fact that the most famous transgendered US servicemember is currently serving 35 years in Leavenworth for giving classified information to WikiLeaks. While that shouldn't be a reflection of all people who identify as transgendered, the subject of Private Manning will probably be a talking point for awhile.

Yes why not. And in order to avoid ambiguity and dispute over standards, enlistment's requirements, bathrooms, sleeping arrangement...etc, they should establish the "transgender division".

Yeah

I'm surprised they are banned, its not like the beings who create these wars gives a shit.

God no, maybe as landmine fodder

When the government lets somebody in the military with a medical condition they pretty much inherit the condition and the costs of any treatment that was a result of the condition being aggravated by military service. That is why the military has a book of policies stating what can and cannot be allowed so they don't run into that problem later and end up paying for it.

Can anyone give a reason why they shouldn't be allowed?

Read the OP.

"Some critics mention that in a combat situation they wouldn't have access to the treatment some people who are transgendered require such as hormones."

It doesn't really matter what you think tho. You're not a mental health expert.

He's talking about our "reptiallian overlords". Not the government. No point in responding to him.

And what about trans people who have already finished their hormone therapy?

@deeliman: You would be surprised how many thumbs up David Icke's videos get on Youtube.

I didn't say I'm more qualified to have an opinion on this than you. I'm saying that determining that something is wrong with someone mentally in any kind of credible way requires knowledge and expertise. Just because you don't find being transgendered "normal" doesn't mean that they are in any way mentally compromised.

If people on these message boards actually did research on stuff they formed opinions about, the discussions here would be more intelligent.

I don't know or care. I'm just saying you should read the OP.

I'm pretty sure hormone therapy can have some serious side effects. Sounds like a real bad idea to allow someone who is going through that to participate in combat, which is an event that also has serious side effects.

If some one wants to die for country let them. I surely don't want to. They can take my place

The APA declassified transgender as mental disorder a few years ago in the same way that homosexuality was declassified as a mental disorder.

An abnormality does not necessarily that something is mentally wrong with the person, though it can.

Also, you don't have to get all weird and defensive. I didn't command you to do any research. I simply said that merely thinking that something is "mentally wrong" with transgendered people doesn't make it so.

Yeah allow them

Oh I already posted that

It's not a disorder, the APA doesn't classify it as a disorder anymore.

No, you felt I was lecturing you and got defensive. Just so you can relax, I didn't intended to lecture you, so I'm sorry if it came off that way.

Do you have evidence not recognizing such things as mental disorders is a result of political correctness?

Again, you're stuck on this abnormality thing. Like I said, abnormality/=/mental disorder. That is way too simplistic. How "normal" something is not the sole criterion for mental illness.

Lastly, it doesn't matter to me where your view comes from.

As long as there's no untoward special treatment I don't really see why not.

He was a dude when he committed the crimes.
I suspect he felt women's prison would be easier, or that if he was going to live the rest of his life in prison, he might as well embrace "the bottom"

If you want to get technical Manning started identifying as a woman long before the leaks but kept it under wraps due to DADT (a lot of people were actually unaware a DADT repeal wouldn't open the door for transgendered people). At least until Manning took a picture dressed as a woman while on vacation and forwarded it to his boss. The funny thing is the transgendered situation has effectively overshadowed the leaks themselves, with the editing wars going on the past few months with the "Chelsea Manning" Wikipedia page.

Also, coming out as a woman may have had more to do with trying to get major support from LGBT support groups to help push for an early release than getting put in a women's prison. If the Army did accept that Manning was a woman then the alternative for the USDB in Kansas would be Miramar in San Diego, California, which would probably be hotter in the summer and also houses men anyway.

Provided all hormone treatments and whatnot are completed then I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to.

I choose # 2 ...

because no one shold be treated like a DIVA in military service

Hell no.

Yes. Because why not?

No. Because I'll just use it as an excuse to never be drafted.