Penna Dexter

The July 4^th holiday is another reminder of military sacrifice. Fighting for a fledgling nation, the troops faced death, injury, and extreme discomfort in service of their cause. It’s no different today. That our military maintain its focus on national defense and readiness for war is as important as ever, perhaps more so given their responsibilities around the world. It’s a blow to military readiness that all branches have been forced to prepare for this month’s deadline to begin accepting people who identify as transgender. Retired Army Lt. General Gerry Boykin, now Executive Vice President at Family Research Council, understands military readiness. He was an original member of the Army's Delta Force and ultimately commanded these elite warriors in combat. He later commanded all the Army's Green Berets as well as the Special Warfare Center and School. He says that the hours of training time members of the military must spend to comply with gender policies comes at the expense of preparing for war and “will further degrade their individual and unit readiness.” The hormone and other medical treatments required by military personnel who are in so-called gender transition can render them undeployable for months. Even proponents of the new policy admit that transgender service members might not be able to perform in their assigned roles and may need to be assigned to temporary low-risk jobs. And — some will need time off for gender reassignment surgeries. The Left cries “discrimination” at those who warn against knowingly bringing these difficulties and expenses into our military. But, as FRC points out, ”the military discriminates constantly to find the best physical and mental recruits it can.” Flat feet, bad eyes, and asthma can keep you out of the military. We don’t have to be fair about who we accept to serve in the military. But the Left demands all sorts of selective fairness. FRC asks if it isn’t phony fairness when “allergies can keep you out of the military and gender dysphoria can’t?” Congress should completely reverse this policy.