Transgender Military Service?

Recently Allyson Robinson (below) the director of OutServe took a look at former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's legacy. Of course her comments concerning transgender military personnel caught my attention as a trans vet. Here's are a couple of excerpts:

" History will remember Panetta's tenure at the Defense Department favorably for these decisions to change policies that no longer reflected the reality of our wars or, just as importantly, the values of our nation. As a woman veteran, I was elated with these changes. As the wife of a woman veteran (my wife Danyelle was a West Point classmate of mine and served as an Army officer with honor and distinction), I felt encouraged by them. But as a transgender veteran, and an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) service members, veterans and their families, the changes that Secretary Panetta brought about in his last days in office have left me emboldened. Here's why: As the combat exclusion for women comes to an end and open service for gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans edges closer to truly equal service, it becomes more and more obvious that there is no longer any rational basis on which to bar qualified transgender people from serving in our armed forces. Transgender people (people whose inherent sense of their gender is out of sync with the sex they were declared to be when they were born) have served in America's armed forces from the start."

"Today thousands wear our nation's uniform and fight our nation's wars, despite the fact that, like gay and lesbian service members under DADT, they must hide who they are to serve the country they love. However, what makes their situation different from that faced until recently by gays and lesbians is that no law bars their way. Instead, military medical regulations written decades before most of them were born, when being transgender was poorly understood and prejudice ran deep even among medical and mental health professionals, pronounce them unfit to serve. Over the last 50 years our understanding of the transgender experience has grown significantly. Today thousands of Americans every year receive treatment for gender dysphoria, as the condition is now known. They go on to live full, fulfilling lives and to contribute to their communities and society, often in exemplary ways. They are famous inventors, engineers and well-known authors, fire fighters and police officers, teachers and pastors, parents and spouses -- and soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guardsmen. In fact, studies show that transgender people are more likely than their fellow citizens to serve in the military -- perhaps twice as likely."

To read more go here to the Huffington Post.

So Hot It's Flamin!

It is no surprise the Bravo television network is very gay orientated.  But Bravo has unleashed a new level in gay talk on Fashion Queens. Forget about political correctness as guests Miss Lawrence (right) and Derek J "critique" female celebrities. Here is one review from Madam Noire:

"Last night Bravo aired a new tv show, “Fashion Queens” featuring hair stylist Derek J, fellow hair stylist and “Real House Wives of Atlanta” cast member, Miss Lawrence, and media and style maven and Bevy Smith. The three big personalities discussed things like haute couture, trends and what would a fashion show be without the shade that comes with discussing the most egregious fashion faux pas. The show is primarily about style, so it was interesting Bravo chose Derek J. If you’ve seen some of his public appearances, you might have noticed that more times than not, he’s far from impeccably dressed. And I’m not referring to the fact that he wears women’s clothes, but more to the fact that he wears ill-fitting, tacky looking women’s clothes. But let me stop. That’s not what I’m here for today. During last night’s show, I was otherwise occupied, catching up on “Girls” episodes and watching “Golden Girls.” But I jumped on Twitter for a hot second to see that Derek J, whose business is hair, made some interesting comments. He said that he’s “not a fan of the natural hair movement.” Ok, fair. You don’t have to like it. But then he took a step further saying: “natural hair is not for everyone.”

Maybe it was just when I watched it (no I wasn't intoxicated) I just got a giggle from this 'flamin" gay look at current culture.

Trans In Fighting in the Pentagon

From the Dallas Voice.Com:


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When “don’t ask, don’t tell” was repealed, gays, lesbians and bisexuals became eligible to serve openly in the military. Transgender people still cannot. But since 2011, trans woman Amanda Simpson (above) has served as special assistant to the assistant secretary of the Army. In 2009, when President Barack Obama named Simpson to a position in the Commerce Department, she became the first trans presidential appointee. While some accused Obama of filling quotas, those Simpson had worked with during her career at Raytheon touted her experience as a test pilot, an engineer and as deputy director in the company’s advanced missiles and unmanned systems product line. But it’s Simpson’s work on trans issues and her care for the LGBT community that endeared her to her Raytheon co-workers. Louise Young, who founded Raytheon’s LGBT employee resource group, credited Simpson with getting gender identity and expression added to the company’s equal opportunity policy. “It’s a delightful irony she’s working with the Army,” Young said. “Amanda is a real trailblazer in many ways.”

For more go here.