Since President Trump declared a ban
on transgender persons serving in the U.S. military, an all-out identity war
has been waged between factions in support of the ban and those in opposition.
Opposition to Trump’s decision centers
around fairness. In a culture
conditioned by political correctness, it seems unfair to single out transgender
service members just because of who they are. And frankly, the argument is correct; it is
unfair. As the late President Kennedy
said in a 1962 news conference, “There is always inequity in life … It’s very hard
in military or personal life to assure complete equality.” It is the nature of the beast. The military is about success and
preparedness; it is about national security and uniformity. The idea that the military can be part of a
grand egalitarian utopia is not only pie-in-the-sky; it is a dangerous
proposition that does little to keep America safe.
Trump foes … especially of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
left … are unwilling to even consider Trump’s reasoning. On the website for the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC), a leading LGBT rights group, it read: “Trump launches all-out assault on
service members.” HRC President Chad Griffin
said the president has “put a target on the backs” of transgender active duty
personnel. [Such a violent metaphor is
inaccurate, and dangerous in light of what happened weeks ago at a congressional
baseball practice, when James Hodgkinson put actual targets on the backs of GOP
lawmakers.] Griffin also said Trump was
trying to “drag LGBTQ people back into the closet.” [Q stands for queer and/or questioning]
Listen: Supporting LGBT rights does
not mean that you have to be an LGBT Santa Claus who continually stuffs the
stockings and leaves presents under the tree. The President of the United State (POTUS) has
to make decisions for the nation, not one group, and sometimes that means you
don’t always get what you want. When it
comes to LGBT politics it is sexuality first, country second. It better be just the opposite when you are POTUS.
Trump’s decision may be unfair, but it
was not incorrect.
Walt Heyer, an author who seeks to
“raise public awareness about those who regret gender change” and runs a
website SexChangeRegret.com. His commentary in the Daily Signal is certainly provocative. “I think he made the right decision — and as
someone who lived as trans-female for several years, I should know.” Heyer goes on to comment:
Our
military was forged to be the world’s strongest fighting force, not a
government-funded, politically correct, medical sex change clinic for people
with gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria,
the common diagnosis for one who feels at odds with his or her birth gender, develops
from prolonged anxiety and depression. People
are not born that way. The “proof” for a
diagnosis of gender dysphoria is having strongly held feelings — but feelings
can and often do change over time.
Paying
for transition-related surgeries for military service members and their
families is beyond comprehensible. Transitioning
can be expensive — up to $130,000 per person for numerous body-mutilating and
cosmetic procedures over many months (or years) to fashion the body to appear
as the opposite sex. Yet, no matter how
skilled the surgeon, or how much money is spent, it is biologically impossible
to change a man into a woman or a woman into a man. The change is only cosmetic.
Beyond
the financial cost, there’s the question of the service member’s military
readiness during their transition or de-transition, as the process often comes
with a great deal of anxiety and emotional instability. I know of many who have struggled to adapt to
the new gender role for years after reassignment surgery.
The
military is expected to prepare its members in warfare: to kill, destroy, and
break our enemies. The most important
factors in preparing a strong military are not hormone therapy, surgical sex
changes, or politically correct education.
We need psychologically fit, emotionally sound, highly trained troops to
protect our nation from its enemies.
Whether or not one agrees with Heyer’s
argument, these are valid points that must be grappled with in order to dispute
the rationale of Trump’s ban. The appeal
to identity politics is not enough: There are too many American lives on the
line.
Listen: With North Korea, Syria and
the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria posing serious threats, the U.S. military needs
to be focused on defeating these enemies and not locker rooms, restrooms and
reassignment surgeries.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor,
Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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