Trans in the United States military: Fighting for change

Examining partnership-health associations among transgender individuals using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data.

“…Our recent work on racial (Du Bois, Guy, & Legate, 2018) and sexual (Du Bois et al, 2019; Du Bois et al, 2019) minority individuals, who can be marginalized and discriminated against relative to their counterparts, indicates potentially fewer positive partnership-associations in these groups. The current study sample of TGNC individuals—a minority group often under attack at the individual level (e.g., bullying, social exclusion; Whittle, Turner, & Al-Alami, 2007) and structural level (e.g., military ban, bathroom legislation; Ahuja, Ortega, Belkin, & Neira, 2019; Spencer, 2019) – may provide evidence of an inverse association between marginalization and partnership benefits: the more marginalized a group is, the fewer partnership-related health advantages experienced in that group. This seems reasonable, as partnered members of marginalized groups may be more visible, and thus experience more discrimination related to public displays of affection, and more structural relationship barriers such as a lack of hospital visitation rights for sexual minority individuals as compared to heterosexual individuals (Knauer, 2012; Morrison, Kiss, Bishop, & Morrison, 2019).…”

Mental Health Care Experiences of Trans Service Members and Veterans: A Mixed‐Methods Study

“…Stigmatization is a significant driver of psychological distress for TSMVs. Until 2013, trans people were classified as “disordered” by the American Psychiatric Association, and the exclusion of TSMVs from the 2011 repeal of the “don't ask, don't tell” policy reinforced the notion that their identities were unacceptable to the military (Ahuja et al, 2019). In June 2016, however, the Obama administration announced a policy allowing trans people to enlist and serve openly, with access to necessary health care services and change documents to begin October 1 (Secretary of Defense, 2016).…”

Gender Dysphoria in United States Veterans and Military Personnel: Historical Context and Current Policies

“…It is estimated that there are >150,000 transgender active duty service members, Veterans, and reservists (Ahuja et al, 2019). Although the future of transgender military policy remains to be seen, it is critical to understand that individuals who identify as transgender will continue to serve in the military, but some may conceal their gender identity during their time in the service due to fear of discrimination (Tucker et al, 2019).…”

“…Gender dysphoria disproportionately impacts U.S. Veterans and military personnel when compared to the general population, with rates as high as 22.9 per 100,000 persons in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), compared to estimates of 4.3 per 100,000 persons in the U.S. general population (Blosnich et al, 2013), and an estimated total of 150,000 transgender active duty service members, Veterans, and reservists (Ahuja et al, 2019). In addition, approximately 50% of U.S. Veterans with gender dysphoria have been diagnosed with a mood disorder, and approximately 25% have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (Blosnich et al, 2013).…”