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Navy promotes, then discharges trans* sailor
by Gretchen Rachel Blickensderfer
2014-04-30

This article shared 6018 times since Wed Apr 30, 2014
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On its website, the U.S. Navy advises people considering joining to "Think about it. As long as you have the drive to make a difference in the world—and in your own life—there will be a place for you in America's Navy. In fact, the Navy experience can shape your future through outstanding financial benefits, unparalleled career potential, and the lifestyle of freedom and personal growth that you've been waiting for."

When he turned 20, Landon Wilson felt like he could make a difference. He wanted to do more for his country than just live a comfortable life in his home town of Warner Robins, Georgia. He felt like the cause of freedom was far bigger than him and he wanted to contribute to it. Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2011. He worked tirelessly; received high-level security clearance, specialized training and deployment to Afghanistan; and was the subject of multiple commendations, a promotion and the respect of both his superiors and his shipmates.

Two months ago, Wilson was discharged from the Navy—a life and a career that had become the whole world to him. There was no place for him in America's Navy because he is a transgender man.

"When I enlisted, it was still a time when 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' ( DADT ) was in effect," Wilson recalled. "So I knew I could be kicked out just because of how I appeared." He said that he had known since the age of four that he was not supposed to be a girl. But— growing up— he didn't want to adopt the term "trans." His enlistment paperwork marked him as female. One month after he began boot camp, DADT was repealed following a relentless effort by organizations such as Servicemembers Legal Defense Network ( SLDN ), the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, the Anti-Defamation League and even the Log Cabin Republicans.

Allyson Robinson is a military policy expert and former service member. "It was a very focused process on one very particular piece of legislation," Robinson recalled. "These conversations were taking place on the heels of moving to exclude transgender people from the Employment Non Discrimination Act that was before Congress in 2007. All of the advocacy organizations—with which I worked during that time—were conscious of the drive for transgender inclusion, yet there was a clear feeling that talking about gender identity in the context of [DADT] repeal was complicating matters and that it was not worth putting off repeal for a future time in which there might not be a friendly congress to accomplish it."

Denny Meyer—the media director for the Transgender American Veterans Association ( TAVA )—is a gay former service member who enlisted in 1968 during the height of Vietnam War protests. "The party line among LGBT activists was 'don't mention the transgender issue or you'll ruin everything,'" he said. "Most organizations remained silent or worse. They didn't want to muddy the waters and so the issue was pushed aside. It was a tremendous throwing under the bus."

Meanwhile, Wilson had become a cryptologic technician working with signals analysis and communication. It was a job that required months of specialist training and top secret clearance. "You had to pretty much put your entire life on display for these people to determine if you're eligible for this clearance," Wilson said. "So I did that and I went through so much training but obviously it was for nothing."

"Still Serving in Silence: Transgender Service Members and Veterans in the National Transgender Discrimination Survey" was a 2013 study conducted by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. It reported that "transgender Americans serve in the military at a high rate. 20 percent of NTDS respondents had served in the armed forces as compared to 10 percent of the U.S. general population."

Robinson works with hundreds of transgender people who are still actively serving in the military. "In my experience, they joined for the same reasons as other Americans," she said. "Some have a drive to serve their country that leads them into uniform. Others have a need for a good job, money for college and good healthcare for their families."

For Wilson, the military gave him a sense of purpose. "It's one of those few careers where you are recognized immediately by the uniform you wear," he said. "People recognize what you stand for. It gave me purpose in knowing that people had put their faith in me to defend their country. That was a huge deal for me."

Wherever he trained—Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and North Carolina—Wilson was accepted as male. "Everybody thought I was just a regular guy," he said. "Nobody knew I was trans* and nobody thought that I was ever once female until everything kind of blew up."

That happened once Wilson was deployed on a highly sensitive mission in Afghanistan. "I was up for a promotion," Wilson explained "My unit in Hawaii had contacted my unit in Afghanistan and my Hawaii leadership used a female pronoun for me. That caused confusion and they started investigating as to why a female pronoun was used for someone who clearly was not a female."

His sergeant major questioned him about the discrepancy in his military record and subsequently informed Wilson that he would be going back to the States. "They pulled me off without any hesitation or any consideration for the big picture," Wilson said. "Nobody else was trained for that position. They didn't have anybody to replace me."

Wilson arrived back in the states Dec. 9, 2013, and spent the next three months in limbo. "Nobody knew what to do with me," he said. "They promoted me to petty officer third class. They gave me awards for job performance. I was up for Sailor of the Year. They continued to praise me and give me accolades and told me that I was a great service member until they added the word transgender to me. That changed everything."

Without recourse, Wilson was told to make a decision to either stop his transition or take a discharge. "There was no reason as to why I had to make an either/or decision when I was performing just as well as anybody else," he said.

There are transgender people in all branches of the United States military but—just as gay, lesbian and bisexual service members were forced to do before Sept. 20, 2011—who remain hidden and silent, barred from serving openly because of disqualifications that include, according to the Department of Defense directive 6130.03 governing medical standards for appointment, enlistment and induction: "a history of major abnormalities or defects of the genitalia such as change of sex, hermaphroditism, pseudohermaphroditism, or pure gonadal dysgenesis" as well as "current or history of psychosexual conditions, including but not limited to transsexualism, exhibitionism, transvestism, voyeurism and other paraphilias."

It's a policy that forces most transgender people out of military service. Like Wilson, they face what many may consider a horrendous choice: remain in the military as a closeted individual then transition after they have retired or discharged, or attempt to seek transition related services while active in the military. If they choose the latter, they face consequences.

Robinson—a transgender woman who enlisted in the army at 18—says that the consequence for transgender people in the U.S. military who do not remain closeted is usually immediate discharge. "It's what we're finding anecdotally from the trans* people that we're working with," she said. "But there are cumulative costs associated with the repression of a deeply held identity or value. Many of our service members find that those costs become unbearable prior to the time that they are able to make the most of their investment in the military through retirement."

Not so in America's allies around the world—including the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Canada and Spain, all of where transgender people can serve openly.

"We're supposed to be leaders," Meyer said. "Yet, even if transgender rights had been included in the original bill by Marty Meehan [then a Massachusetts congressman] it would have been stripped down to attempt to appease the far right."

He added that—despite a progressive attitude shown in now retired military leaders such as Adm. Michael Mullens and Adm. Jay Johnson—transgender rights are still not open for discussion. "Transgender rights have always run into a brick wall in state after state, "he said. "It's the last frontier the bigots cling to. What's really needed is a very powerful voice."

Robinson is working with advocacy organizations such as the National Center for Transgender Equality, the ACLU, the HRC and SPART*A ( an organization "built by, for and with members from all parts of the LGBT military community" ) to change policy. "We've been able to benefit from the partnership of local and regional organizations," she said. "There has been recognition—not only among advocacy organizations—but in the Pentagon and elsewhere that the repeal of DADT has gone exceedingly well. It's been a smooth integration and the horror stories raised by opponents of repeal have proved themselves to be myths. That has made the work around transgender inclusion easier."

Meyer said that TAVA is actively engaged in fundraising and development while increasing their membership. He said he wants to mobilize people through education. "Somebody could get incensed and call their member of congress," he said. "That's how progress happens. It's a matter of awareness that includes the LGBT community. They think 'Oh, DADT is repealed so we're done now.' But they don't know that at least a fourth of our population and the most likely to join [the military] are still left out and still in the torture that people went through during and before DADT."

Wilson is left trying to figure out civilian life. He is helping out with a project called TransMilitary—a reality series that compares and contrasts the lives of US trans* service members to UK trans* service members. He is also a part of SPART*A. Through that group he has met and talked with a number of trans* people, many of whom are currently serving and closeted. They are more than aware that their transition will cost them everything they have worked for if they get caught. "I try to make sure they have a support system," Wilson said. "I make sure they understand they are not alone in this. It does feel some days like you're the only person going through it. There's no one you can open up to because you could lose it all. But to know that there are people out there dealing with this gives you a sense of solidarity."

But every day that passes makes Wilson yearn that much more to be back in military service. "I could get a job doing exactly what I was doing as a civilian," he said. "And I would be supported in my transition. But the military was the one place where I felt like I could be myself in some crazy, paradoxical sense. The friendships and the brotherhood that I experienced is something that I know I will never find anywhere else."

"Those of us who have joined are incredible patriots," Meyer said. "We weren't wanted, some of us are still not wanted and yet we felt compelled to join and serve our country."

Wilson changed all his legal documents and gender markers in February of this year. However—due to the fact that his DD Form 214 Military Service Record still lists his birth name—he will be always be out and considered trans* as far as the military is concerned.

If there is a change in military policy, Wilson says he will be the first one in line to reenlist. "We're just like everybody else who wants to serve and protect this country," he said. "I believe that changes will happen when our senior officers say 'our military is going because of every individual regardless if they're gay, lesbian or trans.' That is what we need to happen."

Windy City Times reached out to the Department of Defense ( DoD ). A statement received from DoD spokesman Lieutenant Commander Nate Christensen said, "At this time there are no plans to change the department's policy and regulations which do not allow transgender individuals to serve in the U.S. military. Policies on military personnel and health care regarding transgender members are intended to meet the needs of the services, which include the ability to deploy to and serve in austere environments with limited ( and perhaps no ) access to medical care for prolonged periods on little or no notice."

For more information about TransMilitary, visit www.transmilitary.tv/ . Transgender American Veterans Association ( TAVA )'s website is tavausa.org/ . For more information about SPART*A, visit www.spartapride.org/ .


This article shared 6018 times since Wed Apr 30, 2014
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