EbineezerGeezer

Honestly if the drills not using the correct pronouns is a concern that would make or break going into the military, then maybe they aren't prepared for what boot camp is supposed to be....

I have 2 questsion:

1) Do you feel like tax dollars should be used to pay for expensive transition surgery?

2) There are many rules and regulations in various military branches that discriminate. And these rules discriminate for a reason. For example serving in the military is a privilege and not a right. You can be denied the privilege of serving if you have various minor medical conditions. With the high suicide rates of the LGBTQ+ community, and the high suicide rates of veterans, is this not a potential powder keg waiting to blow up?

Keep in mind I really do intend for this to be constructive and perhaps even enlightening to me. So with that said:

Define expensive transition surgery. Cite sources.

https://www.businessinsider.com/transgender-medical-care-surgery-expensive-2019-6 <-- Six Figure costs of being transgender

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/07/26/630619038/bill-of-the-month-a-plan-for-affordable-gender-confirmation-surgery-goes-awry <-- medical bills in a NPR article just for the gender reassignment surgery

As for the rebuttal, my question was originally intended for the original enlistment. I think it should be weighed as a dollar value and assessed on a case by case basis for those already in the military. However, the military shouldn't be an automatic ticket to join (if these conditions are not disclosed previously and are known) and then expect the surgery etc. That would be fraud in my opinion just like hiding other medical conditions. I have family members that were not allowed to serve because they had asthma past a certain age even though it was not a problem as an adult. Others have not been allowed the privilege of serving because of bone spurs of the fabled "flat-footedness." Are those conditions really more troublesome than someone with gender dysphoria?

Yes. There are many reasons why a person cannot server in the military. Some of which are likely less intrusive and have less effect on the day-to-day happenings of a soldier.