Charmaine Debates Values with a Transgendered on Fox News Live

I agree. We cant let these people serve in the military. To do so poses a threat to unit cohesion and American values. No blacks in the army!

Suricou,

As Colin Powell said, pigmentation doesn't change and is not a factor in today's military. And does not affect unit cohesion. I was in the Army commanding soldiers that were uniformly green. In fatigues.

I know a number of former homosexuals.

I do not know any former black people.

There is a great deal of confusion on civil rights and homosexual rights, as you have implied.

There is no right to serve in the military.

Thank you for commenting,
Jack

Hmm... try sending my bit of sarcasm back a few decades and see if it holds true then. Would having blacks in the military effect unit cohesion? Certinly. With the level of racism as recently as the 50's, a sizable percentage of soldiers would be uncomfortable fighting alongside them, and some would refuse. Many would be less willing to fight to save a black comrade than a fellow white. And against American values? Well, what are American values? Do a survey and you would have found a distinct anti-black bias.

And yet now, we consider both of these reasons to be completly unacceptable. Why is this?

Is military policy supposed to reflect popularity, in some type of democratic ideal? But this can be detrimental to military capability. In classic friend-of-a-friend style, I know someone who knows someone who worked for one of the big government inteligence departments. I dont know exactly who for, but under army jurisdiction. He used to be an arabic translater, a skill currently in very high demand as the backlog of documents siezed in Iraq has piled up. Until someone in the department found out he was gay, and promptly discharged him, because that was what policy demanded. He was not involved in any type of relationship, and he performed his vital job satisfactorialy, but as soon as he was someout found out... the US lost one translator.

Surely he, at least, should have been kept?

I thought Charmaine was well spoken, but I wish the discussion had been longer. I feel like, yet again, she was not given equal time to present her views.

Hmmm...some very inaccurate information.

First of all, there is already a separate category in the DSM-IV for transsexualism, and the issue described is gender identity, the way you see yourself. There's actually evidence for the condition being a matter of hardwiring. We know that the fetal brain is essentially neutral at the start, and that it is masculinised or feminised as development continues. Estrogen and testosterone are produced in all of us (females make much more estrogen, and much less testosterone obviously, and vice versa for males) What if something goes wrong? DES, for example, is known to interfere with hormones in the developing brain...

I'm sorry to bring science into the discussion.

Secondly, there are no former homosexuals, not that homosexuality is relevant to transsexuality. "Former" gay folks are those who are able to find a way to ignore the feelings they have. Except that they don't usually succeed in the long run.

Like Rep. Foley, for example.

One's identity won't be changed, if things are so bad that one seriously contemplates surgery.

Therapy, which is required prior to surgery, helps people to sort out what they are feeling, how they really identify, and what they should do. Only 5% of those with transgender feelings have the surgery, although many do transition without the surgery. It's expensive, and for some, they learn to ignore their genitals, and move on.

Once transition is complete, they are often very happy, and I may add, productive members of society.

Harmless, too!

Oh, and if your military son or daughter doesn't care about gay or trans servicemembers, because he or she has learned there's nothing to worry about, unit cohesion won't be affected. Something to work toward, eh?

1. What normal male would part with that particular body part? A normal male wouldn't, but a normal transsexual woman would gladly trade a penis for a vagina. I don't know how conservative Republicans perform surgery, but we abandoned "meat cleavers" for modern surgical instruments a long time ago. Sexual Reassignment Surgery involves a complex, delicate reshaping of the male genitalia into female genitalia, not "cutting them off".
2. Values!?! Just like you and your precious sons, transsexuals were raised as a part of a family. They have mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. They ate birthday cake, learned to ride a bike, went to school and had dreams for their lives just like you and yours. People can have "values" and not agree with your appropriated mishmash religion or self-serving politics. People can understand that it's wrong to steal, cheat and hurt others. People can love their country and their families. Transsexuals are not aliens or monsters from Hell, they are people born and raised right along side you and yours.
3. The military! Unit cohesion! I served four years in the military and received an honorable discharge with a chest full of ribbons and medals. My perceived homosexuality was an open secret and noone cared as far as I knew. Most wealthy conservatives won't let their precious offspring serve in the military. They ship them off on full parental rides to college.
4. Mental Illness Unfortunately, there are lots of mentally ill men who pose as transsexuals. You can tell right away that they are mentally ill men, because they act like men and barge in trying to grab the spotlight and control everything. If you want to see real transsexual women, look at a list like Porfessor Lynn Conway's TS Successes page (google it or go to http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TSsuccesses/TSgallery1.html )
The moral (yes, we have those too) is that when you look beyond the initial conservative hysteria that their precious hatchlings will be threatened by scary monsters, you find plenty of human beings just trying to live life, have liberty and pursue happiness.

The Army taught me the skills, a mercenary needed to stay alive. After 30 years and a lot of luck, I finally decided to retire.
I was always the Man's, Man!
When the bullets are flying, you don't give a rats butt, what sexuality, color, or race someone is; as long as they fight.

I was a Type A, Alpha Male personality. Mow I am in transition to a female life. Hormones, surgery, the whole works.
Testosterone makes a lot of males stupid and intolerant. It also kills them, when they find out that; the female they are so attracted to, was more of a man, than they ever will be.
And absolutely more Woman, then they could ever handle!
Peace,
Benita