Trans Inclusion In The Military Panel Discussion

As I, the Transgender American Veterans Association, and a host of other people and organizations continue to point out, the 2011 repeal of DADT doesn't include the trans portion of the community.  

Trans people still have to hide who they are if they want to remain in the military, and for those of us who already transitioned, we can pay taxes, but are not allowed to sign up at the armed forces recruiting centers to serve our country. 

That's fundamentally unfair, insulting and cuts off to patriotic trans people an employment avenue many cis people use to get a paycheck, skills, education and training for the civilian workforce when they leave the service.

On March 20 a panel discussion on the topic of transgender inclusion in the military. was held at Pennsylvania's Gettysburg Collge in which TAVA's founding president Monica Helms took part. 

here's the video from that panel discussion.




Let us American transpeople openly serve our country like the transpeople of six nations can do in theirs.

Secretly Serving-The Few The Proud, The Trans

While the LGB community was celebrating the first anniversary of DADT repeal, transgender people in the US military are still serving in secret. 

Marc Lamont Hill talks to trans veterans and a trans person still serving our country and having to hide to do so.   The trans veterans get to talk about their post service lives.    

Trans And Deployed-Keith's Story

While LGB people will be celebrating the first anniversary of the end of DADT, we trans people are not only barred from enlisting in our military, those of us who are currently enlisted have to hide who they are.

To give you folks an idea what that is like, OutServe will be publishing a column from Keith Thompson, a transman who is currently deployed in Afghanistan.  

The command climate in my unit during pre-deployment was harsh for me. The Soldiers in my unit think that I am a lesbian, serving openly and proudly. They do not know I am trans. I have never had an issue with any of my immediate colleagues about my sexual orientation. Just before we deployed, however, we received a new “butter bar” in our ranks. I started to feel that I was treated differently from the rest of the crew, chosen for the jobs nobody really wanted. Most of all, I could tell that this officer had a huge issue with me. Whenever I attempted conversation with her, she would ignore me.

Here's the rest of Keith's column.

 

DADT Still Hasn't Died For Trans People

Couldn't let today pass while I'm up here inside I-495 'Owning My Power' to remind you readers as I will our legislators while I'm chitchatting with them on Capitol Hill today marks the one year anniversary of the day that Don't Ask Don't Tell died.  

While our SGL and bi brothers and sisters will be celebrating this first anniversary of DADT repeal, it'll be another painful reminder that DADT is still not dead for trans people,.but it's still an ugly reality that we can't serve openly. 

Discrimination by the US military of transpeople still exists for us as documented in this Kristen Schilt report for the Palm Center.  Unlike the trans citizens of six nations, the big bad US military still will not allow patriotic trans people to enlist who are willing to fight for and defend our country.  

If you're in the military and it's discovered you're trans, you get discharged or worse.

We love our country and want to have the option to serve in its military as well.   To make an economic argument for it, trans people being able to openly serve our nation not only helps the ones already enlisted and helps you retain those personnel you spent time and tax dollars training, it would also make a dent in that 26% trans unemployment number if trans people who desire to do so have the option of military service as a career option.

So let's see if you 'come back for us' on this issue, LGB community.  .As you raise your appletini glasses and toast the demise of DADT, I'm reminding you about the trans people you threw under the Humvee when you pushed for passage of DADT repeal in the 2010 congressional lame duck session and trans activists told you repeatedly it didn't cover us. 

While DADT died for you, it still hasn't died for the trans community.


     
 

Naw, It Ain't 'The New DADT'

A new OutServe article talks about an issue we loudly were trying to point out to you GLB peeps back in December 2010 when the DADT repeal was being blitzed through that lame duck session of Congress that trans military personnel couldn't openly serve either. .

While DADT didn't specifically mention trans people, it was still being used to out trans military personnel and kick us out of the US armed forces. We pointed out the DADT repeal bill needed language in it to cover trans military personnel and wouldn't do squat for us if it didn't , but you deliberately ignored that point.

Then when you loudly crowed about the DADT repeal being signed by President Obama and celebrated your win when it took effect September 20, 2011 about GLB peeps finally getting to serve openly and proudly after a 17 year fight, elements of you accused the trans community of 'sour grapes' for not being happy about being thrown under the bus by y'all once again as you stuffed yourselves at the human rights table and left us behind because you wanted a win after that 2009 Maine marriage referenda defeat. 

We are painfully aware that as long as one house of Congress is controlled by the Republifools, nothing is going to happen to fix this problem.   We are going to need the reelection of President Obama, the retaking of the House by the Democrats and the Democrats holding the Senate in the upcoming 2012 election before w get any congressional action to rectify this.

So where do the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and our 'fierce advocates' in the GLB community stand on the issue of pushing for their trans brothers and sisters to serve openly as GLB people do?  While SLDN includes this trans service page on their website, you'll have to go to a drop down menu to find it..

While SLDN talks about the need for trans people to openly serve, they haven't walked the walk.  They are more preoccupied with marriage and partner related issues than doing things to help speed up the day that trans people can openly serve their country.

So naw it ain't 'the New DADT' as this OutServe article mistakenly called it.   It's the same BS that transpeople in the United Sates who want to openly serve in our nation's military have had to contend with for years that could have been rectified in 2010 but wasn't.

Brown Proposes Continuing ROTC Campus Ban Unless Trans People Can Serve

One of the things the trans community is painfully aware of is that the ballyhooed repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell last month still left the trans community behind and vulnerable to the same discharges that GLB soldiers used to endure but no longer have to worry about.  

Staff Sergeant Rebecca Grant was discharged under the DADT policy two weeks before it ended.

Besides TAVA who is leading this fight to allow trans people tom openly serve, we just picked up an ally in pleading our case to allow trans people to openly serve in our country's military in Ivy League institution Brown University.

Brown President Dr. Ruth J. Simmons called on the university to "commit to helping to arouse greater national attention to the discrimination of the military and others against transgender individuals."

She wrote in a letter to the university community,"We must do all in our power as an institution to carry the message to Congress, the executive branch, and the military establishment that the policy barring transgender individuals from military service must be changed,"  

Brown ended its ROTC programs during the contentious Vietnam War era in 1969 and kept the bans in place due to anti-GLBT discrimination in the military.   In the wake of the passage of the repeal legislation and September 20 implementation of the end of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, the Providence, RI based school was in the process of reconsidering lifting the ban and allowing the ROTC programs to resume on campus. 

Dr. Simmons favors continuing the on campus ROTC program ban while favoring expanded options for Brown students to participate in ROTC programs on other campuses

The proposal by President Simmons to continue the ROTC ban must go to the university's Corporation for the final say.

"Many speak about the importance of service to the nation through the military and they are correct," Dr. Simmons wrote in the letter. "However, to root out the manifestation and vestiges of discrimination from our national life is an equally important dimension of serving the nation."

Thank you Dr. Simmons and Brown University community for being willing to add your voices to others who speak loudly and clearly against anti-transgender discrimination and are standing up for our right to serve in our nation's military.

DADT Dies Today, But Not For Transpeople

While today is a historic and monumental day for GLB people who serve in the military with the death today of the odious Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, there's one part of the rainbow family who still will not be able to serve in our military openly and proudly in the transgender community.

Never mind the fact that one of the people who was chained to the White House fence and arrested for protesting the DADT policy was transwoman Autumn Sandeen.

As GLB folks celebrate the demise of the policy, trans people will be having a moment of silence to note the fact that the struggle is not over for us.

As Transgender American Veteran's Association president Monica Helms wrote in her call for a moment of silence on this day: 

On this day of celebration, TAVA has one request for all of those who will be cheering and partying. We ask that everyone take a moment of silence to acknowledge that the fight is not over. A moment of silence for all of those trans people who will still face discharge when being outed.

Take a moment to remember the trans people who gave their lives in silence to protect this country. TAVA stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in celebrating this historical day. All we ask is for them to stand in solidarity with the trans community in our struggle to end ALL discrimination in the US military. The fight is not over.

Indeed.  The fight for transpeople to openly serve in our country's military continues.

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Upcoming Trans Day Of Silence On DADT Repeal Day

TransGriot Note: DADT goes bye bye this month.  But there's one segment of the community who once again will be Left Behind as the GL segment of the community gets civil rights that the trans community as Autumn Sandeen demonstrated helped them fight for.   TAVA President Monica Helms in this guest post talks about the moment of silence being organized to remind the GL community and our allies the fight for transpeople to serve openly in our military isn't over.  

September 20, 2011 will go down as one of the most pivotal days in LGB history. On that day, gay, lesbian and bisexual service members will no longer have to hide their sexual orientation from the US military. LGB people will be allowed to enlist (or reenlist) in the military, and those already serving will be able to openly say who they love if they wish to.


However, for the trans community, September 20 will be a bittersweet day. The “sweet” will be because we will all be thrilled to see another wall of discrimination crumble into history. We will celebrate along with our LGB brothers and sisters, and thank all of those who have served our country proudly. Our thanks will also go out to those who will step forward to join their ranks. Tears of joy will flow that day from all of us.

The “bitter” part comes when the celebration is over and trans people will still face discrimination from the US military. Trans service members will be ejected because the military says we have a “psychosexual condition,” which they put in the same category as “exhibitionism, transvestism, voyeurism, and other paraphilias.” No trans-identified person will be allowed to enlist for the same reason.

The Transgender American Veterans Association want to first congratulate all the people who worked tirelessly on getting Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repealed and helped the Administration and the Department of Defense to smoothly integrate LGB people into the services. Our members worked alongside LGB people to put this terrible law to rest and we are proud to see our work not go in vain.

On this day of celebration, TAVA has one request for all of those who will be cheering and partying. We ask that everyone take a moment of silence to acknowledge that the fight is not over. A moment of silence for all of those trans people who will still face discharge when being outed.

Take a moment to remember the trans people who gave their lives in silence to protect this country. TAVA stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in celebrating this historical day. All we ask is for them to stand in solidarity with the trans community in our struggle to end ALL discrimination in the US military. The fight is not over.

By selecting "Attending" on this it means that you are committing to holding a Moment of Silence at any celebration you attend on September 20, 2011. This moment is to honor our trans service members who still won't be able to serve openly. Thank you.