Tag Archives: transgender

President Trump Issues Ban on Transgender Military Service

In what has become his trademark fashion, President Donald Trump issued a major policy statement 140 characters at a time yesterday, effectively re-enacting the DoD’s prohibition on transgenders serving in the US military.

The critics immediately pounced.

As accurately noted, the tweet does not explain how this new policy will be implemented — specifically, what it means to transgenders who have been allowed to served openly since President Obama made a similar unilateral decision last year. That said, it seems reasonably obvious that the ban on enlistment will continue.

This is, of course, exactly what the policy was just one year ago under President Obama — as well as Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, etc, etc. President Trump has done nothing more than restore a longstanding policy.

The rebuttals were predictable, and weak:  Read more

US General: Transgender Delay is Due to Medical Issues, Science

Transgender activists were caught off guard on Tuesday when the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the “delay” in transgenders being allowed to enter the US military wasn’t due to feelings, religion, or bigotry — but science and medicine.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his reappointment as Vice Chairman, US Air Force Gen Paul Selva said [emphasis added]

Our decision to delay the accessions of transgender individuals into the services was largely based on a disagreement on the science of how mental health care and hormone therapy for transgender individuals would help solve the medical issues that are associated with gender dysphoria.

Read that carefully. Gen Selva said the current treatment for the medical condition currently called “gender dysphoria” not only isn’t settled, there’s disagreement that it even works.

(That comes as no surprise to transgender activists, Read more

First Gay General on Readiness, Integrity

MajGen Tammy Smith, 8th Army deputy commander for sustainment, is often lauded as the “first openly gay general” in the US military. She recently spoke at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, on the topic of sexuality:

The U.S. military’s first openly gay general says advances in granting rights to the military’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have increased the ability “to fight tonight” in South Korea.

Gen Smith’s reasoning essentially says there are so few potential service members in American society that everybody has to be allowed to serve — even if they’re homosexual. She does not appear to address the many other exclusions that prevent “talent” from entering the military, like criminal records, drug use, etc.

Interestingly, the article referenced since-deleted “negative comments” on the Garrison’s Facebook page in response to her speaking in favor of homosexuality:  Read more

“Those with Gender Dysphoria Can Find Healing”

Last month, it was my privilege to attend the annual conference of the Restored Hope Network (RHN) in San Diego. The Restored Hope Network is the nation’s largest umbrella organization for Christian organizations engaged in “transformational ministry” with those who suffer from unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA)…

I was struck, however, by the sharp disconnect between what the protesters assumed was actually happening in the conference and what was actually happening there. As just one example, critics of “sexual orientation change efforts” (SOCE)…often charge that such programs damage participants by instilling “shame” in them. The truth is the exact opposite—participants come into SOCE with shame, and a key goal of the counselling is to overcome and remove that sense of shame…

Our maleness or femaleness, and Read more

The Importance of American Christians Publicly Speaking Out

Todd Starnes of FoxNews recently celebrated the reversal of Oklahoma’s East Central University plans to remove Bibles, crosses and other religious items from their campus chapel. The University made the initial decision after receiving a legal threat from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Starnes attributed the change of mind to his readers contacting the University to express their disagreement. It appears the University had made its decision based on the “loudest voice in the room,” and only after Starnes’ column was published and other voices spoke up did they consider that the heckler need not be granted a universal veto.

The power of the American citizen’s voice should not be underestimated — and the impact of the absence of the Christian citizen’s voice cannot be overstated.

Just a couple of months ago Tennessee Read more

RAdm Robert Sharp: Diversity Just Makes Sense. Until it Doesn’t.

RAdm Robert Sharp, director of the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office and commander of Office of Naval Intelligence, recently made a fascinating statement in support of the LGBT community [emphasis added]:

[Sharp] said his commitment comes from the important role diversity and inclusion play in building a strong Navy. It not only the right thing to do, he said, it is a warfighting readiness imperative…

Nowhere is that more important than in the intelligence community, he said.

“It’s our job to go out there and understand adversaries. We need to be looking at threats from every different angle, and if we can’t bring in diversity of experience, diversity of expertise, diversity of thought, we will not be as good as we need to be for our nation.”

That begs two important questions: Read more

Diversity in the US Military, and the Right Priorities

In an interesting piece at Military.com, US Navy PO2 Guldeep “Geena” Kaur Sidhu describes what it’s like to be a Sikh woman serving in the US military, noting:

In today’s politically charged and increasingly globalized world, it’s more important than ever to be open to the beliefs and cultures of those around you.

Kaur notes there is virtue in promoting and highlighting religious liberty and the values of religious belief:

I believe that it will lead us to greater unity. By better understanding the identities of our brothers and sisters in arms, we can become closer as a unified force. I hope that the changes brought about by this new directive will serve to educate my fellow service members on the Sikh religion, and how closely it aligns with the American values we’re fighting for day in and day out.

As has been noted in the past, there has been Read more

West Point Grad Sue Fulton on the Importance of Integrity – Or Not

“I was asked by an investigator at one point if I was gay, and I lied,” said Sue Fulton in an interview with NBC Out. “I carried that with me for years. When it came time for the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ fight, that’s one of the reasons I worked so hard. To redeem myself.”
– former US Army Captain Sue Fulton, USMA Class of 1980

A failure of integrity tears at the conscience, as even Fulton acknowledges. Interestingly, her solution was not to be an officer of integrity.  It was not to change her behavior but to change the policies. Yet that doesn’t change the face she lied.

While Fulton advocated for homosexuality for years in the name of “tolerance,” it would seem Read more

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