Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was joining the Marines. This is a dream that I had fostered from childhood. I was born and raised in the worlds largest military industrial complex. As a child it was assumed that most in my neighborhood would go into military service. Even if one did not join right out of school, if one hit hard times they could fall back on that guaranteed job.
Not in my case, there never will be that opportunity for me.
The military is still trying to impose religious dogma on the troops in the guise of unit cohesion. Not taking into account the detrimental effects such discrimination has on troop effectiveness and morale. The hands in lap poses of the commanders in attendance during the SOTU address was enough to tell me the greatest force in the world is still antiquated in it's thinking and perfectly fine in staying that way.
There is an effort to change this Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009:
`Sec. 656. Policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation
`(a) Policy- The Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, may not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation against any member of the Armed Forces or against any person seeking to become a member of the Armed Forces.
`(b) Discrimination on Basis of Sexual Orientation- For purposes of this section, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is--
`(1) in the case of a member of the Armed Forces, the taking of any personnel or administrative action (including any action relating to promotion, demotion, evaluation, selection for an award, selection for a duty assignment, transfer, or separation) in whole or in part on the basis of sexual orientation; and
`(2) in the case of a person seeking to become a member of the Armed Forces, denial of accession into the Armed Forces in whole or in part on the basis of sexual orientation.
`(c) Personnel and Administrative Policies and Action- The Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, may not establish, implement, or apply any personnel or administrative policy, or take any personnel or administrative action (including any policy or action relating to promotions, demotions, evaluations, selections for awards, selections for duty assignments, transfers, or separations) in whole or in part on the basis of sexual orientation.
`(d) Rules and Policies Regarding Conduct- Nothing in this section prohibits the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, from prescribing or enforcing regulations governing the conduct of members of the Armed Forces if the regulations are designed and applied without regard to sexual orientation.
`(e) Re-Accession of Otherwise Qualified Persons Permitted- Any person separated from the Armed Forces for homosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexual conduct in accordance with laws and regulations in effect before the date of the enactment of this section, if otherwise qualified for re-accession into the Armed Forces, shall not be prohibited from re-accession into the Armed Forces on the sole basis of such separation.
`(f) Sexual Orientation- In this section, the term `sexual orientation' means heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality, whether the orientation is real or perceived, and includes statements and consensual sexual conduct manifesting heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality.'.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended--
(A) by striking the item relating to section 654; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new item:
`656. Policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation in the Armed Forces.'.
(b) Conforming Amendments- Title 10, United States Code, is amended as follows:
(1) Section 481 is amended--
(A) In subsection (a)(2), by inserting `, including sexual orientation discrimination,' after `discrimination' in subparagraphs (C) and (D); and
(B) in subsection (c), by inserting `and sexual orientation-based' after `gender-based' both places it appears.
(2) Section 983(a)(1) is amended by striking `(in accordance with section 654 of this title and other applicable Federal laws)'.
(3) Section 1034(i)(3) is amended by inserting `sexual orientation,' after `sex,'.
There is something being left out of this discussion. Transgender individuals. I am an FTM, Female to Male transgendered person. I have never in my life not passed as non-gender variant, that is just not possible in my case. So to protect the troops from being frightened by my mere existence I am banned from service. So much for the overriding aura of invincibility, we have a military that could be beaten back by a platoon of drag queens.
The HRC has allready looked at this issue and come to the following determination trough the SLDN.
The military considers having had any type of gender-confirming surgery to be a major genital abnormality or defect, even if there are no complications after surgery. If an individual is at any other stage of transition, or does not plan on having surgery, the military considers transsexuality to be a disqualifying psychiatric condition.
So no matter the outcome of DADT I still would be ineligible for service. Not because I have a psychological condition as the military proposes but because society considers me to have a psychological condition because of their own preconceptions and misconceptions. As to having a genital abnormality are you telling me women with hysterectomies and men needing viagra are also ineligible? What part of ones genitals are used when serving ones country anyway?
I am at this stage in my life too physically disabled to serve so all those wingnutts the military is protecting with DADT don't have to worry about me showing them how truly inadequate they are on so many levels. And psychologically I doubt I could serve as well; but are my psychological problems merely a symptom of a lifetime of oppression?
That is a question that won't be answered until this society is truly free.