Lord Dampnut’s * decision to bar Trans folks from the services has, among other things, had me thinking about my military experience.
After community college I joined the US Army Reserves and went to Fort Jackson, SC for my basic training. I grew up in a town that was over 97% white here in Upstate NY, (my high school class of about 325 had three African American students in it) and didn’t really ever have any real interactions with folks of other colors. You were either Irish or Italian in the neighborhood, the lone Polish family represented the extent of cultural diversity I experienced growing up.
So, when I joined, that was really the first time I had much exposure to folks from other backgrounds. For the first time in my life I was around folks from EVERYWHERE, guys from Puerto Rico, African American guys from the Bronx, Chicago, and Alabama. There were people from all over the US and from just about every cultural background you could think of. I lived and trained with a group of people that was more diverse and varied than any I had ever been a part of.
I learned so much from my fellow recruits, more than I realized at the time. Through getting to know my squad I was introduced to what the African American guys went through with the police, hearing 1st hand stories of being pulled over and arrested , then released with no charges. I learned about how some native Hawaiians were struggling to keep their traditions alive and how tourists and main-lander’s were buying up land and forcing locals into smaller, poorer areas. I learned day-to-day mundane things like what a dew-rag was and why it was worn. I learned a lot of stuff beyond the whole ‘POP’ -vs’ SODA type stuff (its soda, for the record. ‘Pop’ is either your Dad, or something you do to bubble wrap).
One of the guys in my squad explained why cocoa butter was needed, I had never heard of or known people had to deal with ‘ashy’ skin. I heard stories from people describing life at home, how different families behaved, what they celebrated. I hadn’t ever really thought about life in a US territory, that was something from the history books, wasn’t it? My new friends from Puerto Rico talked about what their lives on the island (for one, that island was Manhattan) were like. I learned to swear in several languages. Basic training was the first time I had ever eaten okra or used hot sauce. I realized NOBODY outside the Utica, NY area had any idea what tomato pie is (not what you think, sorta like pizza, but served cold, no layer of mozzarella, just a sprinkle of Parmesan on a marinara-like tomato sauce….hard to explain, come to Utica, I’ll show ya!). And, even though this was 1987 and I think it was still ‘against the rules’, there were at least a few gay guys in my platoon. There may have also been trans folks for all we knew, not that it mattered.
We were all going through something intense and new, an experience designed to break down our differences and reform us into soldiers that worked together as a team. We all got homesick to one extent or another. Every one of us wanted our family to be there are graduation. We were all in the same boat, and I think that helped push us all together.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but basic training was when I learned, really learned, that skin colors, religions, accents, and home towns were really all the same in the ways that matter.
To think now, that an entire group of folks are to be excluded based on gender identity is heartbreaking to say the least, for them and for our country.
If nothing else, our diversity makes us all stronger. We each have contributions to make, regardless of our background or how we identify or who we love, we all have gifts and things to offer. If we are a country that shuns a group of people because of who they love or what bathroom they use, we lose. We lose the benefit of other perspectives and other experiences, we lose the opportunity to learn about some of our neighbors. We lose things that make our own lives full and rich.
Our armed services are many things, in one way they are the last real cultural ‘melting pot’ we’ve got.
Marginalizing and excluding people is wrong on its face, that can’t be overstated, for MANY reasons.
In the case of excluding trans folks from military service, I think something that may be overlooked is how much this bad idea will hurt our military as a whole. The people I served with didn’t care if you were black, they cared if you were the one who might drop his grenade during live fire training. Nobody cared if you were Muslim, if you were the last out of chow and we had to ‘beat our faces’ doing push-ups because of you, you got ragged on like anyone else.
I have carried the benefits of my experiences with me since then. I have felt closer to folks of different backgrounds ever since. Living and working with people, you see pretty quickly that the ‘differences’ that we all have are pretty much forgotten (except to break your chops, no one and nothing was sacred when it came to busting on each other) and we were all the better for it.
The backlash against this despicable policy is encouraging, hopefully this trans ban will turn out to be another blast of gas from the orange traitor.
(*thank you to Bill in Portland Maine for that name, your blog was the 1st I’ve seen it)