On Friday, March 23, president Donald Trump announced that he would support an order that bans many transgender people from serving in the military based on recommendations from the Pentagon that their health concerns would prevent them from their ability to serve. It is not a full ban like the one that he tried to order earlier this summer. Instead, this ban is for those who have undergone gender reassignment surgery. Those who haven’t will be able to serve as long as they have been medically stable for 36 consecutive months in their biological sex before serving.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wrote in a memo to the president that Friday stating, “The men and women who serve voluntarily accept limitations on their personal liberties — freedom of speech, political activity, freedom of movement — in order to provide the military lethality and readiness necessary to ensure American citizens enjoy their personal freedoms to the fullest extent.”
Many organizations and citizens believe that this ban is purely an attempt at discrimination and has no real merit. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) CEO and medical director Saul Levin responded to this ban on Saturday with the statement that, “This ban not only harms those who have chosen to serve our country, but it also casts a pall over all transgender Americans. This discrimination has a negative impact on the mental health of those targeted.”
According to the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), the manual that the APA publishes that acts as a diagnostic criteria for the entire field, being transgender is no longer recognized as a mental illness. In the views of those in the APA, this ban brings into question the mental health of transgender people and stigmatizes them. They believe that being transgender does not disqualify their ability to serve.
“Substantial psychological research shows that gender dysphoria is a treatable condition, and does not, by itself, limit the ability of individuals to function well and excel in their work, including in military service. The science is clear that individuals who are adequately treated for gender dysphoria should not be considered mentally unstable.”
Students at Pleasant Valley are also divided about the issue. Ben Piotter, a conservative senior, does not have an issue with the ban. He told the Shield, “This ban will prevent those who are transgender from purely serving for the healthcare benefits. Remaining in their biological sex proves their willingness to sacrifice for this nation.”
Others see a problem with the ban. Senior Brendan Roethler says that, “Even though I am generally more conservative in my political views, I believe that [transgender people] should be able to serve in the military if they desire to.”
The court hearing for this ban will take place on Tuesday April 3.
