Friendly Reminder That There Are Real Medical Conditions That Could Keep People From Joining The Military

The big news today – if you haven’t heard – is that the military will no longer allow transgender people to serve. There are TONS of reasons that this is a good idea, not the least of which is that the military isn’t some stupid social justice experiment. In fact, the response from my friends who’ve serve in the military has been overwhelmingly positive. And that’s just from looking over my Facebook feed this morning. I tend to accept their assessment of the situation more than some politician or Hollywood starlet signaling their all-important leftist virtue by crying over this decision.

One of those friends shared this link from Military.com where it lists all kinds of medical conditions that would disqualify someone from serving in the military. Not because they’re being mean or discriminatory, but because that’s not the purpose of the military. You’re not there to FEEEEEEEL good about yourself. You’re there to do a specific job. If your physical and mental health prevents you from doing that job, you shouldn’t be there. Period. End of story.

The list is extensive and too long to go over piece by piece here. The website does stress that these don’t necessarily automatically disqualify someone from serving, but they are “red flags” that do cause concern among recruiters. There are several parts that I want to highlight, including this one that mentions “transsexualism.” Granted, I don’t know if this list has been updated since the president’s announcement this morning, so take it for what it’s worth. Though I wonder if it will eventually give “gender dysphoria” as a reason to be rejected from service –

Psychosexual Conditions
The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are transsexualism, exhibitionism, transvestitism, voyeurism, and other paraphilias.

It also mentions several mental disorders as cause to be rejected from military service (and as someone who has dealt with anxiety and depression in the past, I just have to say “Well, DUH”) –

Disorders with Psychotic Features
The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are disorders with psychotic features.

 

Neurotic, Anxiety, Mood, Somatoform, Dissociative, or Factitious Disorders
The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are a history of such disorders resulting in any or all of the below:

a. Admission to a hospital or residential facility.

b. Care by a physician or other mental health professional for more than 6 months.

c. Symptoms or behavior of a repeated nature that impaired social, school, or work efficiency.

Other factors mentioned include personality, conduct, and behavior disorders, as well as a history of suicidal tendencies. Even a history of sleepwalking could be a determining factor in rejection from military service.

Here’s the deal – serving in the military is not a right. You are not entitled to enlist, just like you’re not entitled to any other job. Military service requires a LOT of physical and mental strength. Some of that you can learn in basic training, but most of it has to come before you even join.

If the military doesn’t want to deal with all the accommodations that obnoxious transgender activists inevitably demand whenever one gender-confused person sets their pinky-toe somewhere, then they don’t have to do it. There are other vastly more important things that every branch of the military has to be concerned about without making sure that Timmy Transgender doesn’t get his/her/its feelings hurt by his/her/its fellow soldiers.

Bottom line: The military isn’t about your stupid FEEEEEEELINGS. It’s about protecting and defending the United States, both at home and abroad. And if they don’t think your physical and mental capacities are up to the job, then they don’t have to take you. They certainly don’t have to meet some arbitrary social justice quota because a bunch of gender studies majors browbeat them into being more inclusive. In fact, I would prefer our military to be a bit more exclusive. As long as it means getting the very best personnel that our country has to offer – especially when it comes down to fighting the very worst that our enemies can throw at us.

You want more transgender people in your academic department or office or sports team or knitting circle? That’s your choice. Just like it’s up to the US Military to decide if they’re going to accept transgender people into their ranks. And they have – rightly – chosen not to do that.