TRANSGENDERS BANNED FROM SERVING IN THE MILITARY
Frida
July 23, 2017

President Trump recently sent out a Tweet stating that he would no longer allow transgenders to serve in the military, in any capacity. As an American citizen, I found this to be extremely offensive, for a number of reasons. First, this is America, a country known the world over, not only for the democracy and rights it gives its own citizens, but also for its willingness to interfere with how other leaders run their country, especially when the rights of its citizens are being violated. As such, you'd think that the last thing we'd do as a nation would be to trample on the rights of our own, regardless of our views on the subject, but sadly, this is exactly what we've done, yet again.

I've never lived as a transgender, so I find it difficult to speak from a personal point-of-view on the issues they're suffering, but right is right and wrong is wrong. Straight, gay, transgender, at the end of the day, we're all just people struggling in the pursuit of happiness, something guaranteed to us by the Constitution. While we might no find our neighbor's preferences, sexual or otherwise, appealing to us, who are we to dictate their lives to them, so long as they're not hurting anyone? Should someone who's gay or transgender be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to their country, our country, who am I, or anyone else, for that matter, to discount their attempt? Particularly because no can't pick and choose which rights they're standing up for. It's an "all or nothing" proposition, and by enlisting, they've made the decision to stand up for your rights as well as theirs.

The other reason I found Trump's actions so offensive was because his conduct contributes towards an uncertain world, while at the same time, fostering a dictatorship. We live in a democracy, which means that, at least in theory, our way of life is supposed to be set forth by the majority. Every time we see a new party taking office in the role of the President of the United States, the first thing he does is use his executive powers to overturn any executive orders issued by his predecessor(s). For example, when a Democrat is the POTUS, federal funds can be used for things like abortions, and executive orders are issues to that effect, but when a Republican is the POTUS, any previous orders are immediately nullified by a new order specifically banning any federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. Does this mean that transgenders will now see their way of life, their ability to serve in the military, dictated by the party affiliation of whoever's in office? And if so, what's next? Will these fluctuations also include gays in general when it comes to serving in the military, open or not? Women? It seems to me that Hitler did something similar in his attempt to create and promote a "master race."

Our nation could have chosen any symbol it wanted to define itself, and the one we chose was the Statue of Liberty, which has an inscription celebrating the fact that we're so willing to take the scraps and castoffs from other countries. Ironic, wouldn't you say, that for a country who prides itself on diversity is now seeking to stifle it.

Shawn L. Perrot CDCR# V-42461
MCSP Cell# C-13-229L
P.O. Box 409060
Ione, CA. 95640