[TheVrist]

The Pentagon is opening the door for transgender troops to serve in the military, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced Monday, continuing a wave of expansion in opportunity under President Barack Obama.


Carter has ordered a six-month study into the “policy and readiness implications of welcoming transgender persons to serve openly,” he said — one that will presume that every job is open “except where objective, practical impediments are identified.”

In the interim, the Pentagon also will elevate the authority needed to discharge a transgender person to the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, Brad Carson, effectively making it much tougher to discharge troops just for being transgender. The Pentagon is believed to have discharged thousands of such troops, but it has not kept precise statistics on how many.
Carter has been an advocate for opening up military service as part of his initiative to build a diverse “force of the future.” On Monday, he said that inclusion is not only right, but also helps U.S. national security by making service available to anyone who is qualified and committed.
“We must ensure that everyone who’s able and willing to serve has the full and equal opportunity to do so, and we must treat all our people with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Carter said in a statement announcing his moves. “Going forward, the Department of Defense must and will continue to improve how we do both. Our military’s future strength depends on it.”


Carter’s order continues a revolution in the makeup of the military services under Obama, whose administration has already opened service to gays and lesbians across the board, to women aboard Navy submarines and women in many combat roles. The military services today are studying unisex requirements for combat jobs and are expected to present their requests for any “waivers” to Carter by the end of the year.
Early reaction on Capitol Hill appeared favorable.
Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, applauded the move. “The brave men and women who serve in our military should not be excluded from the rights and freedoms that they risk their lives to protect,” he said in a statement. “It’s that simple.”
And if the Pentagon concludes independently that it can lift its ban without impairing readiness, Republicans could go along, said one House GOP aide — but not if it appears Obama is using the military just to score points with liberals.
“If they perceive that DoD is being allowed to pursue those legitimate readiness questions on their own, I think members will be OK with the process,” the aide told POLITICO. “It’s when they perceive that a political agenda is being put ahead of those readiness concerns that they then feel like they need to act to preserve the department’s equities.”
Ending the ban on open service by transgender troops is one of gay advocates’ top asks of the administration in its waning days, calling it the new Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. They point to the American Medical Association’s resolution last month declaring “no medically valid reason” to exclude transgender people from military service, as well as a study from UCLA’s Williams Institute estimating that about 15,500 transgender people are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces.
The White House has deferred to the Pentagon on the question, but the president has been telegraphing his approval of lifting the ban, hosting active-duty transgender servicemembers for the first time last month at the White House for an LGBT pride reception. Air Force Senior Airman Logan Ireland and Army Corporal Laila Villanueva were joined at the reception by four transgender veterans.
While some advocates have urged the president to be more vocal, others said it was important for him to follow the playbook for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. That means highlighting the service of transgender warriors to build acceptance while letting the military bureaucracy move at its own pace.
The time to end the ban is “long overdue,” said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin in a statement. “Values that represent the foundation of our armed services — including integrity, respect and courage — will become more true when these outdated regulations are finally updated.”

[commondenom]

[TheVrist]

This is my pretend vagina. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My pretend vagina is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my makeup. My pretend vagina, without me, is invisible. Without my pretend vagina, I am male. I must miss-fire my pretend vagina true. I must shoot while squatting while snapping my fingers at my enemy who is trying to fashion critic me. I must pretend queef on him before he shoots his load on me. And I will.

[OhJstFkOffAlrdy]

I'm glad the secretary made mention of "objective, practical impediments." That translates into "no forward deployment.'

[vipersna]

Originally Posted by TheVrist ↗

This is my pretend vagina. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My pretend vagina is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my makeup. My pretend vagina, without me, is invisible. Without my pretend vagina, I am male. I must miss-fire my pretend vagina true. I must shoot while squatting while snapping my fingers at my enemy who is trying to fashion critic me. I must pretend queef on him before he shoots his load on me. And I will.

Do you practice in front of your full length mirror .

[TheVrist]

Originally Posted by vipersna ↗

Do you practice in front of your full length mirror .

Mastering the art of pretend queefing is no easy task, lemme tell ya!

[Sharon]

Fair enough but they'll possibly be subject to ridicule amongst fellow troops and that creates another problem

[el_topo]

Their gonna be so much fun on those lonely nights.

[commondenom]

Originally Posted by Sharon76 ↗

Fair enough but they'll possibly be subject to ridicule amongst fellow troops and that creates another problem

new laws will be created making it illegal to take the piss..

[blaze915]

WTF??