Pentagon's transgender policy undermines religious liberty - chaplains

Several military chaplains have expressed concerns on the implications of the Defense Department's strict guidelines on transgenders serving in the military.

Effective Oct 1, the guideline has disallowed transgender troops on duty to serve "openly" unless a sex change has been done and determined by military medical personnel. According to the manual, transgenders on duty should not act on their preferred gender unless they have had sex surgery.

In a report by Christian Today, Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty said a senior Pentagon official sees some repercussions on the guidelines. If a transgender on duty has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a military doctor, the person may undergo sex change surgery. Likewise, if a medical professional, conflicted with his religious beliefs, does not want to perform the surgery, he can be implicated by the military for not performing his duties.

"An endorser on the call asked whether medical professionals who hold a biblical view on human sexuality will be required to violate their consciences and do as these persons demand, and the response was that it is the responsibility of medical professionals to serve military persons. It's an understatement to say that this raises serious religious liberty concerns," said retired Chaplain Ron Crews, executive director of the alliance.

Crews also warns that the guideline requires "mixed genitalia" bathrooms, showers, and barracks, while service members undergo different stages of transitioning.

The Pentagon announced in July last year that military servicemen can serve openly, in their preferred gender, beginning 2016. Last month, the Defense Department came out with an 18-page manual detailing the guidelines for transgender members of the military who are undergoing sex change transition. It states that once the military medical provider deems that the surgery has been made complete, the member's preferred gender will be changed in Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). Until then, the member has to act on his current gender state while on duty.

In a report by WND, Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, said the police was a "terrible decision for military readiness." She added, "The secretary of defense is instituting a policy that will encourage indiscipline and sexual tension and a range of problems that have nothing to do with strengthening the Armed Forces. There's no excuse for it."