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Being Sex and gender diverse in the military
Being Sex and gender diverse in the military
So now it’s “Ok” to be LGBTQ in the military. Does that mean I should join?
A study published in The Journal of Traumatic Stress finds that more than four-fifths of LGBTQ+ respondents active in the military said they have been sexually harassed during their service. Among lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members, 80.7 percent report at least one instance of harassment, while a slightly higher share of transgender service members, 83.9 percent, said the same. A quarter of respondents claim they have been sexually assaulted: 25.7 percent of LGB and 30.4 percent of trans service members.
-- Nico Lang (Over 80 Percent of LGBTQ+ Service Members Report Sexual Harassment in Military)
Think about this:
Recruiters are looking for you.
Don’t be fooled or flattered into joining.
Use all the tools and resources you have available to make your choice.
"...as more people in younger generations identify as nonbinary, including in official documentation such as passports and driver's licenses, an open service policy will be crucial to recruitment and retention. A 2021 study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found about 1.2 million U.S. adults identify as nonbinary 76% of whom are under age 29"
"To get the talent, obviously, you've got to kind of get with the times," said Jennifer Dane, executive director of LGBTQ military advocacy group Modern Military Association of America .
-- Rebecca Kheel (Pentagon Quietly Looking into How Nonbinary Troops Could Serve Openly)
“ here is what i would say to any queer/ trans/ gender nonconforming student thinking of joining the military:
bombs dropped by a queer/ trans/ gender non-conforming person still kill and causes irreparable harm to communities and to your own spirit.
the US military is rampant with transphobia. it represents and upholds misogyny and patriarchy, both structurally and with its culture of violence within its ranks and around the world.
you have choices. you have a community here waiting to embrace you and celebrate you for being your beautiful queer/ trans/ gender nonconforming self. “
"When I joined the Marines, i knew i was enlisting under 'Don't Ask Don't Tell,' but i was not prepared for the rampant homophobia and transphobia that was steeped in the military's culture. There was, and continues to be, zero room for individual expression beyond the gender binary- and moreover, for expressions outside of toxic masculinity. As a gender non-conforming person, i had to continually deny and silence my true, vibrant, soft, and genderful self over and over. It wasn't until after the military, that i could feel safe to start discovering myself."
--Shiloh Morrison
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