July 28 <\/p>\n
Regarding the July 27 front-page article Transgender ban in military revived: <\/p>\n
Transgender people already suffer from the stress of widespread prejudice and abuse, beginning in childhood with bullying and physical assault. Major depression is sufficiently common as to produce a staggering rate of suicide attempts and suicides. The lifetime suicide attempt rate for transgender people ranges from 32 to 50 percent; that rate is 4.6 percent in the population at large. <\/p>\n
Yet there is ample evidence that gender affirmation, i.e., the acceptance of ones gender identity, can markedly improve mental health. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, is an institutional model worth emulating. Unfortunately, such evidence is unlikely to convince President Trump that gender affirmation is worth supporting. We need a president who is more knowledgeable and compassionate. <\/p>\n
Edward N. Squire Jr., Fredericksburg <\/p>\n
As a service-disabled war veteran, I support transgender soldiers. Transgender soldiers match the honor and courage of all service members, and their bravery pioneers another frontier of integration. The experiences of gay, lesbian, women and black soldiers before them prove that change can come at high personal cost. And the social boundaries the transgender community face are often marked by violent normalization and marginalization. <\/p>\n
I saw this firsthand at Fort Meade, as my company formed for physical fitness training across from the courthouse where then-Pfc. Bradley Manning (now Chelsea Manning) was being tried. Ultimately, her experience in Army imprisonment demonstrated how dangerous the treatment of transgenderism in the military can be. This cannot stand. <\/p>\n
The transgender community is strong, and patriotism and selflessness will compel these soldiers into service undeterred. History will behold them with the gratitude and pride reserved for heroes of the two finest pillars of America, civil rights and national service. <\/p>\n
Joel Usher, Washington <\/p>\n
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