[cafemaid1900]

The guidance is out!! The guidance for transgender care in the USAF has been published! You can read it in the provided link below!

http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/produc...-36-01.pdf

[Dianna1395]

The guidance is out!! The guidance for transgender care in the USAF has been published! You can read it in the provided link below!

http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/produc...-36-01.pdf

Hmm...
I'm just an old fuddy-duddy, I guess, but I still think the purpose of military is to be ready, willing, and able, to kick ass (and not for corporate interests.)
Not for healthcare, education, baby sitting, peace keeping, policing the world, etc. (Some of those can be agreed to benefits, that's a different matter.)

It's good that there are some standards, but...  I'm not too sure some matter, either. E.G., do you stand against the men's standards? Or the women's? Sort of bad either way...  Body mechanics have settled into bone, the shoulder girdle, hip girdle, ranges of motion, amounts of relative strength (E.G., building strength is hard, but maintaining is comparatively easy. So...  A 200 pound woman, trying to keep up? Not good. a 200 pound MTF? Probably still at the male end. But if judged on the female scale? Morbidly obese, subject to discipline, even if "she" is cranking out pullups in the 50s - hence the quotes.)

I'm an odd one, though, as I think we should have REAL education and fitness training. Think this way: Gun safety at a young age. Aikido or similar starting around 10. Physical training like the Marines freshman year. Shooting, too. As part of the schooling. Along with emphasis on Reading, Writing (communications), and Arithmetic. Lots of History and Philosophy, too. Kids can train with obsolete weapons, like M-1s, and learn basic combat drills, basic medicine, and real skills, like how to think (Logic, critical thinking, analysis), how to communicate (verbal, non-verbal, politics), and essential economics (Micro: Budgeting, balancing a checkbook, how to value money; Macro, how nations should do the same thing.)

We'd have a much fitter, stronger, more dangerous, free-er citizenry...
But we'd be far less profitable. No one would EVER invade....

But with this as front-page news? We look weak, vulnerable, stupid, arrogant...  Think all of the "CONservative" views, times 1000, because we're facing enemies who are willing to die for their beliefs...  Like the Kamikaze, truly.
Is this sort of thing really useful?

Now, if Private Benning wants to go from Andrew to Annette, that's certainly do-able, although the standards question should be addressed. And if it's covered, well - as long as We, The People get to agree, it should be OK. But if we were to talk more like 30% instead of 3% of the population, we'd have a real concern - since it's coming from taxes, and - per Gender Outlaw Kate Bornstein, and others - we don't really transition....  We don't "find a home" in a sense, because we're still who we are: Grew up a boy, with boy expectations, boy socialization, all that stuff...

How can we make it all work?
I think, it's private, we should establish things on our own, and make the appropriate changes in the appropriate ways. E.G., Jazz Jennings enlists? Women's standards. Brock Lesner or Matt Kroc? Do they stay with the boys? Unbalance the girls? Should they slim down to fit the girl's teams...?  (Matt Kroc HAS transitioned, see http://heavy.com/sports/2015/07/matt-kro...instagram/ - note the sheer mass. "Morbidly Obese" by military standards, AS SHE IS now...  At probably about 10% body fat. Only an idiot would think that she's Obese, but she'd be facing discharge. So we need to settle those questions - I guess these standards will lead to that.)

Sorry for rambling.
But if we assume that everyone should have the basic knowledge, and then make that work, what the plumbing is becomes irrelevant.
If we use taxpayer monies in the wrong way, we appease everyone, but end up with no country (and countless wars being fought for corporate profits, at cost to us in lives, minds, treasure.)

I'd rather the first, and corporations can go back to making quality products and delivering value, instead of "first to market" with whatever cheap China-made cr@p they can persuade us to buy...

-Dianna

[cafemaid1900]

The issue with fitness was resolved some years ago. With the male/female standards, some people were fit and fast, but were built like a tree. They can get their bmi taken, and if they have a 35 in waist but like 10 - 15% body fat (or whatever is acceptable for their size to not be considered overweight), then they pass. So the issue with having to slime down when going mtf isn't necessary if you're already fit. 

I can agree with a few of your political thoughts. Need more practical skills in school and not teachers only teaching how to pass a standardized state board exam every year. My aunt is about to quit teaching because of it. She really can't teach kids what's they need to know. 
The AF is way too political in their approaches to everything as you can see. I bring up the issue many times that AF has become too political and less martial. It goes beyond just enforcing the standards on people; it just doesn't feel like the military when I go to work everyday. I feel like I'm working for a corporate office with strict standards. I don't feel like I'm  fighting anyone. You're vison I swear similar to mine where there is no corporate outsourcing, and we get quality home made products. Living in Japan I see this all the time.