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America’s military has come a long way from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to women getting their chance to fight alongside men. Now, we have made another huge step in the right direction: transgender people will be able to serve openly in the military. According to The New York Times, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter removed the restrictions regarding transgender individuals in the military.
The New York Times writes that Carter announced that “effective immediately, transgender Americans may serve openly…They can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military just for being transgender.”
As a result of this action, some members of the military voiced concerns that they considered transgender people in the army to be a “social experiment” that could “potentially harm the military’s readiness and effectiveness in combat.” In reality, though, several transgender individuals have already served in the army, largely operating in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” kind of way, thus proving that being transgender is not what “harms readiness and effectiveness in combat.”
On the other hand, members of the LGBT community, such as Army Captain Sage Fox, see the passing of the law as a positive thing. Captain Fox tells The New York Times that she was placed on inactive status after she told her unit she was transgender. Naturally, she called this progress “thrilling news.”
This advancement in military diversity opens an important door for transgender citizens everywhere, as they can now fight freely for their country while still preserving the importance of their personal identities.
