The US army plays a critical role in protecting the interest of the country internally and externally. Over the years, the military has been involved in a number of operations geared towards protecting the country. The success of the O perations depends on a wide range of factors such as the nature of conflict, location, enemy and personnel requirements. In all cases, the army strives to plan and undertake the operations in a manner that will yield positive results (Clarkson et al. 2015). Part of the planning process entails identifying people who have the skills and abilities to outsmart and fight the enemies. For a long time, there have been debates regarding the kind of people who should join the army. In addition, there have been discussions on the traits, characteristics, and behaviors of the people who should be allowed in the military. Questions have been raised whether the transgender people should be allowed into the army. On one end of the debate are those who believe that transgender individuals s hould be allowed to be in the US military, while the other side has people who believe that they should not be allowed to join the military. While transgender people may be different from others, they should be permitted to be in the military since they also have the right and might also possess the skills that will enable them succeed in the role. Furthermore, not including them might be considered as a form of discrimination on the basis of their gender which contravenes the constitution.
Transgender people are human beings who also possess rights, including those related to taking part in activities that will promote their wellbeing and the development of the country. In most instances, those who oppose the inclusion of the transgender in the military base their arguments on the fact that such individuals are different from the rest of the society (National Center for Transgender Equality, 2020). They are viewed as people who do not live a life that is in line with the expectations of members of the society. In addition, some transgender people are perceived as evil individuals who have decided to go against the societal conformations of gender which kind of alienates them. There is no denial that transgender people are different from the other members of the society because they do not conform to the normal gender rules and roles. However, this does not mean that they are lesser humans compared to the rest of the country. The American Constitution grants all people equal rights. In addition, every American has a right to life and a right to engage in meaningful employment (Department of Defense, 2015). When sexual orientation is used as the basis for identifying those who are to be allowed in the military, the society is going against the Constitution yet is not wise to interpret the constitution differently when dealing with people of different background. The constitutional rights of all Americans should be safeguarded at all time, including the instances when one is dealing with the transgender people. In this regard, the transgender people should not be denied the chance to take part in military activities just because of their gender.
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Another reason why the transgender people should not be denied the chance to be part of the military is the fact that they can make meaningful contributions. The US military is involved in different operations around the world. Some of these operations are undertaken far away from the US and involve a huge number of soldiers. In some instances, the operations take a long period of time (Department of Defense, 2016). The magnitude of the operations mean that the army may be stretched significantly at times. In such instances, some soldiers may have to be in the battlefield longer than expected. It is worth stating that the success of the army in some of the battles that are fought in different parts of the world depends on the number of solders that are involved. There are instances where the enemies work with the sympathizers to make the operations complex and ensure that the soldiers are defeated. An example is the case of ISIS that has been getting support from different groups in the Arab world. When the US is involved in some of these wars, it must have sufficient troops that will allow it to continue with the operation as long as possible. If the country begins to identify potential soldiers on the basis of certain non-objective factors and requirements, it may not be possible to get the right numbers in the battle filed. Transgender individuals who may have helped to meet the personnel requirements in the battle field will not get the chance to fight for their country. In addition, they may not contribute to the success of their country in complex operations that are usually undertaken in different parts of the world. Taking this into account, it implies that the decision to allow the transgender people to join the military will be a prudent one.
The third reason why the transgender should be allowed to join the military is that their gender does not impact on their abilities to undertake the operations that occur in various parts of the world. The US military needs patriotic, skilled, experienced, and talented people who can help fight the enemy in different quarters. Over the years, the kind of threats that the US has been facing have become even more complex. In addition, the military has been fighting different kinds of enemies with diverse capabilities. The success of the military units is influenced by the abilities of those who undertake the operations. During the hiring process, the military sets a unique criterion that is used as the basis for determining those who will joint different units (Clarkson et al. 2015). In such cases, gender should not be a basis for determining the people to join the army. The argument is based on the fact that there are transgender people who possess all the qualities that soldiers need. There are those who may argue that the transgender people should not be granted the chance to serve in the army since they will not be able to work with other colleagues effectively. This is a generalized statement that does not take into account the fact that there are transgender people who have been able to succeed in their careers (National Center for Transgender Equality, 2020). Others have been able to start and run successful businesses that are contributing to the development of the economy and the wellbeing of different families throughout the nation. This is a proof that even the transgender people have the abilities and skills to contribute to the growth of the country. Therefore, they should also be allowed to be part of the military so that they can help the army to fight its enemies around the globe.
Finally, the decision to exclude the transgender individuals from the military is a form of discrimination and stereotyping. The US is considered to be a free nation where people’s rights are always guaranteed. The country strives to create an environment in which the citizens can succeed and achieve their goals in life (Department of Defense, 2015). The Constitution provides a safeguard for rights of every individuals, including those that protects them from any kind of discrimination. It is important to note that the US has come a long way with regards to protecting the rights of its citizens. At one time, minority groups such as the black Americans were discriminated against on the basis of their skin color. In addition, they were not allowed to be part of the mainstream American society because of their racial background. Others were subjected to slavery and denied access to proper healthcare. All this changed when the nation amended the Constitution to safeguard common human rights. These are important gains that cannot be reversed easily. In addition, they are gains that have contributed to the development of America as a nation. The decision to deny people who are categorized as transgender the chance to be part of the military can be an indication that the US is willing to go back to its dark past when discrimination was the order of the day. The country should strive to open up its systems and give every individual a chance to contribute to the wellbeing of the society. For these reasons, it is imperative that the transgender should also be permitted to be part of the US military.
From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that the subject of gender with regards to military service is a divisive one. In particular, there have been questions regarding the requirements that a person should meet before being allowed to join the army. Part of the debate has been on the possibility of transgender people being either allowed or disallowed to be members of the US military. The transgender individuals may be different from the rest of the society but this does not necessarily mean that they lack the skills and capabilities to be part of the U.S military. Therefore, they should be allowed to make a personal decision on whether or not they want to serve in the military.
References
Clarkson, K., Miller, R., & Cross, F. (2015). Business law: Text and cases . New York: Routledge.
Department of Defense. (2015). US military . Washington DC: DOD.
Department of Defense (2016). Military operations . Washington DC: DOD.
National Center for Transgender Equality. (2020, September 4). Frequently asked questions about transgender people . https://transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people
