Allowing trans people to serve openly in the US military only furthers the violence of one of the central institutions of global oppression. (Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout)
On July 1, 2016, the Pentagon will announce a lifting of the ban on trans people serving openly in the US military, according to a USA Today article widely cited in gay media outlets. While this has been hailed as a victory for trans rights, it’s hard to imagine anything further from the truth. Allowing trans people to serve openly in the US military only furthers the violence of one of the central institutions of global oppression.
Allowing trans people to serve openly in the US military only furthers the violence of one of the central institutions of global oppression.
Let’s not forget that the US military is currently bombing Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen and who knows how many other countries around the world. Let’s not forget that the US has a long history of supporting despotic regimes, currently ranging from Saudi Arabia to Honduras, Uzbekistan to Equatorial Guinea. Notice a military coup anywhere in the world? Chances are high that the US is supporting it. And, let’s not forget that the US is bankrolling the Israeli war on the Palestinians, and supplying the weapons. Let’s not forget that, after hundreds of years of genocide against Indigenous people within its illegitimate borders, the US still treats Native lands as dumping grounds for hazardous waste. Let’s not forget that the trillions of dollars in US military funding siphons resources away from literally everything that matters in this country, from education and health care to housing and social welfare.
In the US, trans people are routinely kicked out of their families of origin, harassed in school and at work, persecuted by religious leaders and politicians, and attacked on the street simply for daring to exist. Trans people are often denied access to basic services like housing and health care, fired from…