And no, this is not a headline from The Onion. G, L and B military folks are finally free of DADT. Trans people are not.
Celebration is in order for the end of any discriminatory practice, but in this case, a rising tide has not floated everybody’s boat. Some still remain behind and for military folks, that is a disagreeable and dishonorable concept.
The President’s assertion today that all patriotic people can serve the country in uniform is not founded. Patriotic I am, but I still recall with excruciating detail the pain that came from living in disguise, a gender chameleon, in order to not be discharged prematurely. That stark state of affairs has not changed, despite a significant percentage of veterans in the transgender/transsexual spectrum.
Would I do it all again? Yes – following the proud tradition of Navy WAVEs. It’s what I should have been able to do then and what I or any other trans-woman (or trans-man for that matter) should be able to do now if the DADT culture was truly extinguished.
I am pleased that LGB people can serve openly, but it’s not the only thing that is right.
Deni In A Dress 