The next DADT
This is a confusing article. Hondo sent it to me early this morning and I couldn’t make heads nor tails of it on just one cup of coffee. It wasn’t until Country Singer sent it to me this afternoon that I could figure it out. When you’re reading the story, the fellow above is really Leah Eleazer who now goes by the name of Jacob Eleazer, but the Army still calls her Leah and she’s a Captain in the Kentucky National Guard’s 238th Regimental Training Institute. No, she’s not in the Army, like the article says. In order to understand the article, you have to remember that when they write “Jacob Eleazer”, “him”, “his” or “he” they’re talking about this Leah Eleazer person.
Jacob Eleazer, a 28-year-old Army drill instructor, learned he was up for promotion this December. For seven years, he’d been an exemplary soldier, rising to the rank of first lieutenant, and now on his way to captain. But there was a problem. Within the confines of his military training center, in western Kentucky, Eleazer still went by his birth name, which was female.
Outside his Army base, Eleazer lived as a man, one of 15,450 military personnel who consider themselves transgender but don’t dare come out to their fellow soldiers and risk jeopardizing their careers.
“My colleagues just assumed I was a really butch lesbian,” says Eleazer, who has the broad shoulders, close-cropped hair and a jutting chin one would expect of a drill instructor.
Yeah, that’s her or him in the photo. The article is basically about her struggle to be a man, of sorts, you’ll be happy to know that when she told her commander about her impending “transition” to a man, her commander was totally fine with it.
For decades, transgender men and women have been barred from serving in the military. The rule is rooted in an archaic theory that equated being transgender with having a mental disorder. Four years after Congress repealed the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, activists have been agitating for change, and point to other nations, like Israel and England, which allow transgender military personnel.
Yeah, you can call it “archaic” and a “theory”, but gender identity disorders is still listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders under the category of Sexual Disorders and Dysfunctions. So I guess, in this instance, the military should ignore the science and welcome these folks with whichever gender of open arms they prefer. And if these folks are so anonymous and fearful for their careers, where do they get that 15,450 number who they say are currently serving?
Like the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, this is not about service, it’s about acceptance of a lifestyle choice. But they should be talking to the American Psychological Association, not the Pentagon.
Category: Military issues
“The rule is rooted in an archaic theory that equated being transgender with having a mental disorder.”
Well, in my mind that about says it all. Not a theory and not archaic. Just the facts ma’am…or is it…sir?
Someone net this out for me:
Is Punch on the Throat (PITT) technique authorized if there is an issue in the shower?
I’m so confused. If s/he gave me a hummer in the shower and I knew s/he had two X chromosones … would s/he be a she, or a he? And would I (an XY) be …. errr …. engaging in an “alternate” lifestyle?
Conflicted yours,
XY
Agreed Sparks
When you want to chop off or mangle your genitals…that is a mental disorder..I don’t give a f*ck what anyone says
I don’t know how to respond to people like this. I’m a girl. Well, an Old Girl, but you know what I mean. I enjoy men and the company of men. However, I don’t want to be one of them.
I do NOT know how to respond to what, on the surface, appears to me to be some form of near-mental illness. I can only say that if you aren’t happy with the plumbing you were given, you won’t be happy even if it’s changed, because you aren’t happy with who you really are. And there is NO surgery on this green Earth that can fix that for you.
I don’t understand it and I never will.
I’m confused. There is a lot about this military background on this cat that doesn’t make sense…true it’s just a puff piece. But can someone answer for me how can an officer be a drill instructor?
and…making 1LT is just a matter of living that long.
Simple enough, Eleazer is both prior female and prior enlisted.
It’s always been my understanding that BCT and AIT Units typically get the best NCOs and duds for Ossifers, the ones passed over for promotion, the ones put to pasture until the next RIF,… Thus her current assignment is no surprise to me, I predict the PC crowd will be grandstanding her as an example of what they want to shove down the US Military’s throat! What will some CoC have to do in say, an Infantry Unit when Joe “comes out of the closet” announcing “he needs to become Jane”? What about the impact on its unit readiness, morale and cohesion as well as the drain on other unit resources, not to mention the cost of his “snip and tuck”?
Do you mean like Captain Stillman (John Larroquette) from “Stripes”?
Steadfast&Loyal,
In OCS, the TAC’s are officers and NCO’s. That’s what she is. Big difference from being a Drill Sergeant. This is an Army National Guard OCS school, like most states have versions of. I have no idea what the KY Guard is doing keeping and even promoting her but we KNEW it was coming with this administration. I need to retire…hope that clears it up.
She isn’t a drill. She is a Tac Officer which is a Officer that has attended a professional development course the Army has in order to get certified to be an Instructor/Teacher.
All the transgender issues set aside I have some questions about this article. Since when in the Army or National Guard were officers allowed to be Drills? Last time I looked officers never ever wore round browns. Only NCOs were entrusted to be Drill SGTs, officers were seen and rarely heard unless you screwed up or when a speech was needed. Also unless something changed only the Marines had Drill Instructors. I guess the press missed that.
MT FAO,
See my comment above. She’s not a Drill. She’s a TAC officer.
Roger that
Weird.
“He says that in mid-April, during the next session of drill, he’ll explain his situation to his young candidates, who may struggle to process the information. But Eleazer is not especially concerned about the conversation.
“I don’t ask their opinions about things,” he says. “I’ll probably take my hat off and have a talk about it. Then I’ll put it back on, and it will be business as usual.””
Oh, that’s just swell. Let’s cloud the training environment with your disorder and then just act like everything is fine and your recruits still have respect for you. Nevermind, most everyone has been brainwashed to smile and accept your “choice” to self-mutilate. We are sofaking doomed.
LanceCooley, thanks and well said. Yea, not like your first steps off the bus aren’t scary enough, let’s add to that that your new Drill Sergeant (or is it 1LT????) is a transgender, happy, happy, joy, joy man-woman. Yes that will have them heading to sick call for some therapy in short order. “Yes Doctor Sir, my Drill Sergeant says he/she is a…well, he/she and now I am uncomfortable showering and walking around in my skivvies. I’m scare Doctor…really scared. The recruiter never said anything about this at all. Can I get a hug or something before I go back to the barracks?”.
Sparks,
NOT sticking up for her as I believe she should be discharged post haste, but she’s not handling new recruits. She’s a TAC at a National Guard OCS program.
Are you saying the National Guard is not the Army? If she is in the Army National Guard she is in fact “in the Army.” Because she is a CPT she is not a Drill, but in the RTI might be a TAC or instructor in some capacity.
Yeah, this is my surprised look.
Any wagers on how long before someone in the LGBTXEZUYBBOA community starts agitating for the normalization of NAMBLA “relationships?”
OldSoldier54 Wondered when someone would bring up NAMBLA. Yea, if you’re going to start allowing ALL types, then how long before NAMBLA campaigns that they should be able to serve too. When someone would say to my grandfather, “well it takes all kinds to make the world go around”. He would quickly reply, “No we GOT all kinds already and there’s a hell of a lot of ’em we can do without”.
Absolutely!
That’s exactly where this is headed, and “marriage” will be next on the list. When you strip an age old institution of its core meaning, and then base a law or repeal thereof based on an emotion, viz. love, you are asking for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to come forward and ask for the same “rights” (i.e. special treatment). When the recognition of the state depends upon the idea that “you can’t tell me who I can and cannot love,” get ready for people to start marrying their cat, horse, sister, mother, etc. It’s inevitable.
According to AKO, she is in the Kentucky Army National Guard, so yes, she absolutely is in the Army. I think each state has junior officers serving as drill instructors for the reserve-component version of OCS. As for the rest of it, I can care less so long as Bradley Manning stays a Bradley for the duration of his sentence.
I failed to notice that she’s currently part of her State’s RTI, or Regional Training Institutie, so thus she probably is an OCS Instructor, just who you’d want training future Ossifers, right?
I think the writer of the article is confusing “instructor” with “Drill Instructor,” not realizing that there’s no DI’s in the Army but Drill Sergeants…as I was an “Instructor” at Fort Knox for two years. Also, he/she may be an instructor of sorts, as he “explains it to ‘his’ candidates.”
Also….that 11,000+ number should be referenced to something. I’m going through college courses…if I didn’t reference something like that, I’d get slapped in my lips.
Muqdadiyah 19D I agree. The comment, “one of 15,450 military personnel who consider themselves transgender”, sounds like a pulled out their ass, liberal agenda number with no supporting evidence to back it up. But…it looks good to the Gay/Lesbian/Trans-whatever community.
Yep. That’s right. Not sure where that number was obtained, but damn me, seems kind of a hard number to get. ALTHOUGH, I did have a fellow PFC back in about 2006 that I saw put a skirt on and walk around in the Kileen Mall. As a Scout, kinda creepy.
Had one or two issues with some privates at Fort Knox 46th AG (intake) BDE. But I think that number is a little high.
Ok Easy Lesson, If you have to use your hand to aim when you pee you are a guy. If you try to pee standing and have to work about hitting your feet you are a girl.
If you pick your penis out from a book in a doctors office, and have to work about hitting your feet when you pee. you are still a girl.
Enigma4you No matter what brother…you just can’t change that whole, X-Y, X-X chromosome business, no matter how much surgery you have.
Exactly, and nicely put, gentlemen.
So, which set of physical fitness standards would it fall under?
The article is confusing anyway, but…hasn’t s/he/it misrepresented itself to the Army, by going in as female, when she’s transgendered?
(Did that question even make sense? What a mess.)
How is this handled? Am I to understand that if I were still in, I might have to share a shower with somebody with totally different (but seemingly compatible) parts, and I couldn’t even voice how weird that would be?
I’m a bit conflicted though. Nothing in the article seems to indicate that this one is a lazy shitbag or in any way does a poor job. …but jeez…
Just keep reminding me why I got out…
fuck me,I’ll bet old vlad doesn’t have this prob.
Can’t wait until the day they do away with this archaic ban on felons. It’s a lifestyle choice! And they need to respect it. Otherwise …ahhh …ummm …biggots > satire <
The reason sexually deviant soldiers were removed from service was to save their lives. I know we are a little more tolerant than we used to be, but gay sexual advances can still get you killed. Tolerance only goes so far.
Just say’n.
I had this discussion about Chaz/Chastity Bono.
Born a Girl, Lived as a lesbian,Took male hormones and had her breast removed. Is now a guy. Still was with the girl that she/he lives with as a lesbian. But they both say he is now a guy. Um ok. So does that mean that in that case being a lesbian was a choice?
I really dont understand the Transgender thing.
Enigma, no matter what surgery Chaz had, she is still a female. She’s got those XX chromosome thingys, not XY. No matter how many surgeries she has, she’ll still die a female.
Either way, he’s not an attractive human.
There are finding out that there are quite a few cases of Gays/ Lesbian types that are born with extremely unbalanced hormones, some to the point that they actually possess deformed shrunken genetalia of the opposite sex internally.
That being said if it’s to the point where prolonged surgery and therapy is required, on the government’s time and dime to rectify it, its a matter not only of it being a problem os social acceptance and discipline, its a matter of economics.
The military doesn’t accept recruits who need corrective surgery for bad feet, knees or a kidney transplant in order to serve. As a matter of fact if its discovered they have a pre-existing condition the get discharged for it, no surgery performed.
Look I’m not judging the transgendered folks. Just making an observation. They don’t want it listed as a mental/physical disorder, because that would disqualify them from joining if identified in the pre-screening process. Just like identifying clinical depression. People with depression aren’t BAD people, and there are people serving with depression. But if it is ID’d before joining, then it’s a DQ. This would be the same. So therefore they don’t want it considered a disorder. But on the flip side, they want gender re-assignment surgery considered a medical necessity so that insurance/gov’t healthcare will pay for the re-assignment process. So they are basically saying, “When it comes to serving in the military there is nothing wrong with me…but when it comes to someone paying for my surgery, yes I’m broken, pay for my treatment.” In the current budget crunch that is going to have me and many of my fellow servicemembers involuntarily removed from service to save $, we’re really going to take on this expense? Sorry I just can’t go along with it. Retirees were promised free healthcare for life…and it’s being stripped away every day, and they want us to pay for this? No. When the retired E6 eating soup every day because he can’t afford dentures gets taken care of….then you can have your treatment.
Here, here.
I work for the Army and 2 years ago we had a 57 year old man come into work and tell us his name was no longer Matt it is now Mary. Six months later he went to Thailand and had his junk cut off and his adams apple shaved. I don’t even know what that means to have your adams apple shaved. I never seen anything like it before. It looks like somebody’s grandfather dressed up like their grandmother, a real f*****g freak show.
It is a mental and physical disorder and should remain a bar to enlistment. If it is failed to be disclosed at enlistment, and later identified then the soldier should be discharge like anyone else who fails to reveal a preexisting condition for which they would have been barred from enlistment.
You cannot enlist for a myriad of preexisting medical/mental issues. Sorry TS/TG folks you like so many others are barred from enlisting for the simple fact that you are broken and the US Military is not some damned social welfare program you can apply to have all your issues taken care of. In fact Military Service will in a large number of cases break a perfectly healthy body and mind. For that reason, the US Military refuses entry to people that already have serious medical/psychological conditions.