Policy Manual

You know the military everything requires a manual, even us.

Defense Department Issues Transgender Handbook
Military.com
By Amy Bushatz
October 3, 2016

A new Defense Department policy handbook gives transgender service members and their commanders a road map for gender transition in the active-duty military and Guard and Reserve.

The 71-page policy, released Sept. 30, lays out the medical process for service members who wish to change genders. A second section gives commanders a framework for working with transgender troops in their units, including a guide to gender pronouns and physical fitness standards for troops in transition.

"The handbook is designed to assist our transgender Service members in their gender transition, help commanders with their duties and responsibilities, and help all Service members understand new policies enabling the open service of transgender Service members," it says. "The handbook includes advice, questions and answers, and scenarios."

So it must be official if there is a handbook.

The article says that the handbook has information for the commanders,

For commanders, the handbook lays out rules about working with transitioning troops, including enforcing physical fitness standards.

"In the course of your duties, you may encounter a transgender Service member who wants to transition gender. It is important that you are aware of your obligations and responsibilities with regard to the support and management of Service members who are transitioning gender," the guide tells commanders.

"You are responsible and accountable for the overall readiness of your command," it states. "You are also responsible for the collective morale and welfare and good order and discipline of the unit and for fostering a command climate where all members of your command are treated with dignity and respect."

Commanders are to hold troops transitioning gender to the PT standards of their birth-gender until they have officially changed over in the personnel system. But if hormone therapy is impacting their performance, commanders are to take "medical conditions" into account, the handbook states.

So I guess that I can’t really complain about taking so long to allow trans service members because as I should have known that policy chances means procedure changes.