AFA of PA ACTION ALERT
June 21, 2109
Issue
Ask President Trump to Clarify this Policy
Details
The Pentagon issued Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 19-004 on March 12th. This instructed all branches of the service to implement the Trump/Mattis policy pertaining to those who identify as transgender. It went into effect on April 12.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) personal misconduct that weakens morale or brings discredit to the service is not acceptable. However . . .
- Stars & Stripes recently reported that Navy Vice Adm. Robert Burke has signed a dress code policy statement stating that transgender personnel may “live socially” in their “preferred gender” when off-duty and not in uniform.
- On their watch, outgoing Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John M. Richardson and his likely successor, Vice CNO Adm. Bill Moran have allowed a 24-year-old sailor to express his sexuality by performing in drag onboard the carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
- Under the Navy’s misguided policy why shouldn’t female sailors be allowed to entertain themselves and others by performing risqué dances on ships?
- National Guard units in six states — California, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, and New Jersey — have refused to implement the Trump/Mattis transgender policy. National Guard units are under the control of each state’s governor, but military service eligibility requirements are the responsibility of the Secretary of Defense.
The plain words of DTM 19-004 apparently are not clear enough for some branches of the military and they need to be clarified. Additionally, several Defense Department documents are referenced in DTM-19-004, Attachment 1. One is the Obama Administration’s September 2016 Defense Department Transgender Service in the U.S. Military Implementation Handbook. The handbook fully endorsed the vocabulary and ideology of LGBT activists who were invited to consult with Pentagon officials under Obama. This and other Obama-era documents referenced in DTM 19-004 need to be, at a minimum, revised, but preferably withdrawn.
Action Steps
As the Center for Military Readiness notes in their April 2018 Special Report, “It is not clear whether persons who identify as transgender will be subject to disciplinary rules around the clock, 24/7, on-base and off-base. Implementation regulations should make it clear that a military person’s personal behavior must meet designated standards at all times that he or she remains in the service. . . .To avoid misunderstandings and other problems, the Department of Defense should update and clarify official Instructions defining acceptable behavior for all members of the military.”
Contact President Trump and ask him to have the Department of Defense clarify the military transgender policy. This clarification is essential in order for our military to be as strong as it can be.
