Trans State Rep.: Checking the Readiness of Transgender Service Members ‘Will Only Make Our Military Less Ready’

BROWN: “And joining us now for more on this is Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke, the first transgender member of the state’s legislature. Thank you so much for coming on. So you just heard Natasha sort of lay this out. Unlike 2017, this new order on transgender people serving the military goes further by outlining standards regarding gender pronouns. It’s unclear if this ban would have exceptions for transgender service members already serving, something that a Pentagon recommended during the ban and Trump implemented in his first term. But what do you think about this effort?”
FINKE: “Thank you so much for the invitation, Pamela. I think the same thing about this effort that I do with the previous executive orders that the president issued, which is that these are glorified press releases meant to scare people, meant to create uncertainty, meant to push people towards discrimination of transgender people, and will be very difficult to enforce. It will take upwards of a year to figure out if this is even going to be possible. And in the meantime, it’s going to expose trans folks and make our lives more difficult unnecessarily.”
BROWN: “A White House official told me that basically this order today will direct the DOD to figure out the readiness of transgender service members in response to the question of what’s going to happen to them, the thousands. And in this order, he talked about — you know, he talked about that — that — you know, raising the question of whether transgender service members have the readiness, or whether they should be banned from the military. What do you say to that?”
FINKE: “I would say that there is no evidence anywhere that has been presented that transgender service members are anything but qualified to be a part of our military service. The military is the largest employer of transgender Americans. You heard up to 14,000, 15,000 members identify as trans, and 56 of our retired generals have said that our trans members are — are ready to serve. They are fit to serve. This will only make our military less ready to serve by taking 15,000 people who volunteered out of service.”
BROWN: “So, the — the order also talks about, as — as Natasha noted, this fact sheet. It said, ‘It can take a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after transition surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics. During this period, they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements and require ongoing medical care. This is not conducive for deployment or other readiness requirements.’ I want to get your response to that, but also I spoke to Chris Beck on the phone this morning. You may remember him. He was a Navy SEAL who became a transgender woman, and then he transitioned back. He told me he agrees with what President Trump is doing and said, quote, ‘They’re 100 percent unfit for duty. They’re on pills and different surgeries and you have complications with surgeries. You cannot deploy even if you have tooth issues.’ I’m curious. What do you say to all of that?”
FINKE: “I would say that those are decisions that are best made by doctors and patients, including military doctors. This is another version of our political, discriminatory, MAGA Republicans trying to use pseudoscience to discriminate against an entire demographic of people. If individuals are prescribed medication by their doctors, and that medication does or does not interfere with their ability to do their work, then that is something that those patients and their doctors should be discussing. It is not something to be releasing via executive order that is essentially unenforceable, creating panic and fear at a time when we do not need to do that. If — if doctors in the military are going to make policy for their patients, we can have a conversation about that. Nut a blanket, discriminatory practice against an entire demographic of people is uncalled for, and it’s irresponsible.”
BROWN: “From your personal experience, though, what was it like for you to transition? Because as you note in this fact sheet from the White House, it — it says it takes a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after transition surgery. Was that what your experience was?”
FINKE: “I don’t talk about my personal transition medical experience. That is an incredibly personal experience, and it is not something that can be created. A blanket policy cannot be created to address the personal experience of transition. Not only is it irresponsible and — and degrading to our personal lived experience, but it misunderstands the very idea of transition and what it means for us to exist as full human participants in our culture. Whether or not an individual chooses to have surgery, whether or not an individual chooses to disclose every element of their personal experience or medical history with the public or the president, these are matters that do not need to be aired in the way that they are being aired. It is simply a discriminatory tactic to isolate single out trans people and punish us for our participation in society.”