Tangled Up In Green

Back in the Obama administration they repealed all the bans about us serving in the military and one of the first things Trump did was to reinstate the bans against us. I reinstated bans ran into a road block from the courts.

Trump’s attempted ban of transgender military service remains steeped in confusion, chaos
Stars and Stripes
By Claudia Grisales
July 25, 2018

WASHINGTON — A White House effort to ban transgender people from military service is mired in confusion, chaos and a web of litigation a year after President Donald Trump fired off tweets that ignited the controversy, several lawmakers, advocates and lawyers said Wednesday.

For now, a 2016 Pentagon policy to open the military to transgender individuals remains in place, but a Trump administration effort to reverse that plan has created a chilling effect for potential recruits and heightened fears for some servicemembers, some advocates contend.

Four court cases contesting the ban have put the Trump transgender ban on hold, and could extend into a fight for months or years, advocates said during a call with reporters on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Trump’s tweets to institute the ban.

“These servicemembers are willing to die for this country and that announcement and that policy are insults to their bravery,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., ranking Democrat for the Senate Armed Services Committee subpanel on personnel issues. “The good news, your lawsuits are working and your voices are helping convince people that this policy is wrong. So far we are winning… we have to keep fighting and we have to raise our voices and to fight this ban and make sure our transgender American’s who want to serve can serve. They have never stopped fighting and we should not stop fighting for them.”

Meanwhile over at the VA,

VA considers ending ban on transgender surgeries for disabled vets
Stars and Stripes
By Nikki Wentling
August 23, 2018

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs is considering whether to end a ban on gender reassignment surgeries for disabled veterans, and it is seeking public input.

Since 1999, the VA has excluded “gender alterations” from its medical benefits package. For another two weeks, the VA is taking comments about a proposal to remove that ban for veterans who have a high enough disability rating to qualify them for comprehensive medical care from the VA. Comments are being accepted through Sept. 7.

“VA will consider the comments received and determine the appropriate response,” said VA Press Secretary Curt Cashour. “Although there is no specific time frame required for this type of consideration, VA will announce any action it takes in the Federal Register.”
[…]
“It seems like the VA is the lone holdout hanging onto this exclusion,” said Zander Keig, a Coast Guard veteran and transgender man.

Keig is a clinical social work case manager at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, where he handles a caseload of about 100 transgender servicemembers.

So if you are trans and a veteran you can file your comment on the lifting the ban,

People wanting to submit a comment can file one online at regulations.gov.

Our neighbors to the north have no problems with trans servicemembers.

Canadian transgender soldier speaks out on transitioning to help others
Global News
By Amanda Jelowicki
August 23, 2018

Vincent-Gabriel Lamarre joined the Canadian military because he wanted to help people. That’s also why he’s speaking out about his own process of transitioning to a man — to make it easier for others.

“I didn’t find information about transitioning. I did not know that was the struggle I was living,” 32-year-old Lamarre said. “For a long time, I thought I was a hermaphrodite until I got my first period.”
[…]
Vincent says after years of unhappiness, he’s finally at peace. He loves his job where everyone has accepted him.

Quite a difference between the U.S. and Canada militaries; American troops are fighting side by side around world with our allies and our troops are fighting in trenches with trans troops without any problems.

They are behaving as professionals something our politicians can learn from.