DADT Review First, Repeal Later?

Bobby - The United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand have allowed Transgender people to serve openly for years, with no problems at all in regards to the issues that you are raising. Its an issue that the US is going to have to deal with in the long run anyway. i.e. If a Trans-person from another nation is posted on exchange. ~~~~~~~ Also I'd like you to point out how I "chose"to be Transgender. Just like you didn't "choose" to be gay, I didn't "choose" to be Transgender. On top of that, why should you have the right to serve openly when others within the LGBT community don't? ~~~~~~ On top of that, no one has offered any verifiable evidence as to how simply talking about Trans-rights at the same time as DADT is going to sink the repeal of DADT. If its not in the bill, how can it sink it? All that Trans-people are asking is to be included in the discussion so that we can promote our own right to serve too. What is soo controversial about that?

Clayton, if transgendered people get involved in this fight now, they'll end up killing repeal of DADT. I don't know how the army treats a woman recruit who used to be a man, maybe they use the medical excuse to keep them away, but can you imagine the complications of a male recruit that decides 3 years later to become a female? I just think we're opening a can of worms that society isn't ready for. And it doesn't matter if my arguments are the same used against gays because transgenders aren't gays. In fact, male to female transsexuals often identify as "straight females" just like female to male transsexuals often identify as "straight men," which is why Jerry Springer is able to do so many episodes about secret transsexual lovers. If you can show me one army in the world that allows transsexuals, maybe I'll admit being wrong about this.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. And all of you faggots think NObama is working for you. NObama only takes his orders from RICK WARREN. Not from YOU!!!! Party's over. Nothing to see here. Vote wisely next time. That is all.

@Bobby. You're wrong and you're making the very same arguments against allowing transgendered people to serve as they made against allowing blacks, and then women, and now gays. Gender is between the ears, not the legs. If you think gender identity is a choice then you haven't been paying attention. However, I'm no JAG but I don't believe gender identity is written into the language of the DADT law. I have sat thru the 'homosexual brief' a few times and it is explicity about sexual contact, sexual gratification and marriage. It's actually very demoralizing. I'm pretty sure transgendered people are excluded from serving based on medical fitness. Kind of like I had to get a waiver for childhood asthma. I don't know much about the side effects of hormones or what surgeries exclude people from serving. You can bet tho that some major surgeries and certain prescribed medications disqualify people from serving.

Give me a break about transgendered people! Where are you supposed to house them? You're gonna house FTM's with men and MTF's with women? What happens when the female to male transexual decides to take a shower and his buddies learn she/he doesn't have a penis? Who's gonna pay for the hormones they're supposed to take? If you're transgendered you have enough issues already to be thinking about joining the military. Besides, transgendered is a CHOICE, you're CHOOSING to change your gender. I did not CHOOSE to be gay.

The economy; two wars; etc., are things which affect EVERY American. But DADT is SPECIFIC to the LGBT community and bears on every other aspect of national life. The Democrats in Congress are behaving like frightened children! If they don't pass DADT by attaching it to the Defense Appropriations Bill; they will foot-drag right up to the end of the year. Previous posters are right. There has been ample time to study repeal, just by watching how it worked with our allies. NO MORE EXCUSES! Message to Congress: Dump DADT NOW, or we'll dump YOU in November! I'm no racist, but I'm sure if this was an issue of discrimination against African-Americans our 'Fierce Advocate' in the White House would be all over it! At the rate he's going, Obama will be the next Jimmy Carter; one term and OUT.

The military will get its way, it always does in this country. They will study forever and implement never.

Transgendered don't face as much as a problem, unless you're looking for a backdoor paid for by the government surgery. Is that what's going on? Otherwise, I'm not sure what "problems" other than when things are being sorted out DA/DT affects? We do wear all the same uniform, only dress clothes are gender specific.

I'm surprised that people are still taking you seriously, Kerry. Why are you and the rest of the LGBT media blatantly ignoring the Transgender community as a part of the DADT repeal debate? Transgender people are influenced by DADT as well, so why are HRC, The Task Force and The Advocate not commenting on this? Are you guys looking to throw the Transgender community under the bus again, just like with what happened with ENDA a few years ago? You sure are doing a good job of it.

I agree with you Gina. But I think the one difference between women and blacks and gays tho is shear numbers. Part of why women are allowed in so many parts of the military now has little to do with because it was the right thing to do. Nixon had to get rid of that draft. Without women the numbers were just not sufficient for an all volunteer force. Same with blacks during a time of war. The military needed the numbers badly. We make the argument that gay discharges weaken our military and I believe they do--but we just don't have the impact, in this way, as other minority groups who have gone down this same path. I think the year long study is nothing but political cover for spineless members of congress. But I think that if we have a moratorium for a year on discharges it would be very difficult for the military or congress to lift that moratorium and begin discharges again. It'll make it easier for weaker members of congress to man up when it comes time to vote.