The egregious violations of constitutional rights by the USA in nearly all (probably all, actually) departments, points to the general contempt for the rule of law by my nation. As Christian nationalism grows at the Pentagon, denying the Enlightenment roots of the American secular republic, we see the spreading fruit of the National Security Act of 1947 having upended our constitution and supplanted rule of law with color of law. Were the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution to mean anything, with its provision for “equal protection of the law” applied in the present circumstance, transgender people would have every right to both; be themselves and to perform their military duties without exception. The following op-ed points to the patent meaninglessness of our leaders oath to uphold the constitution, or worse, the inability to grasp the point and meaning of that very oath. Following article reposted with permission of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
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– March 25, 2018

Statement by Transgender Client of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) on the Reissued Ban on Transgender People in the Military:

Friday the Trump Administration reissued its ban on Transgender people in the military.  The exceptions are persons who have been “stable for 36 consecutive months in their biological sex prior to accession [and] service members who do not require a change of gender.”  While it’s unclear how the Administration defines the term biological sex, “those requiring medications and surgery” are out.  Clearly, Trump has an unwarranted bias against Transgender people who need to physically transition.

This time they have gone past the trite and debunked arguments of unit cohesiveness, medical costs, and deployability to a broad claim that Transgender people “present considerable risk to military effectiveness and lethality.” As a retired military officer, defense worker and a Transgender person who still works on a military installation, I find this accusation deplorable.  It desecrates my 40 years of sacrifice, dedication, and public service to the nation. To insinuate that I have been and am a risk to national defense is ludicrous and demeans the medals, promotions and great things I accomplished while serving in the name of national security.

The truth is, there are and have been Transgender military members serving with honor and distinction for centuries.  I am just one of many.  We were forced to keep out of sight.  But isn’t that the Administration’s objective?  This move is simply a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy for Transgender people: Out of sight, out of mind.  The Administration wants to force Transgender members out, keep Transgender applicants out, and scare those left into hiding; demand they be someone they are not and compromise their personal integrity.

The Administration and those egging them on, want to first erase us from the military, that’s the easy one. Then erase us from the rest of society.  Last month the Kansas Republican Party approved a resolution that opposes “all efforts to validate Transgender identity,”

What do these people use as the rationale for their Transphobia? They cite “God’s design for gender”.  It has nothing to do with the ability to perform the tasks required of a military member.  It’s really all about forming a rigid society void of diversity by exploiting the hypnotic power of religion to rid the society of individuals who don’t strictly adhere to their model.

To achieve this goal within the constitutional confines of the U.S. they must secure religious exemptions by manipulating political power (i.e. the Trump Administration).  These exemptions are special rights to unleash their discriminatory and oppressive bigotry in violation of civil rights protections and equality standards. Within the military, this is what really undermines unit cohesion and places national security at risk.

As a client and supporter of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), I am incensed.  The tenets of our Constitution, the ones I swore to uphold, and the standards of integrity we expect of our soldiers, sailors and airmen, are being undermined by a hypocritical cult who is weaponizing the Christian religion and is bent on creating a military that mirrors their myopic societal view to further their dominionist aims.

We Transgender people are contributing members of society. We deserve the same rights and respect afforded all citizens including serving in the U.S. military; no more, no less.  The Transgender community, who adds a chromatic spectrum to the human experience, is the low hanging fruit for these theocratic ideologues and the canary in the coal mine for true freedom-loving Americans.