The Army has reportedly begun enforcing a mandatory transgender sensitivity training program designed to teach soldiers transgender shower etiquette and the proper way to deal with male soldiers who become pregnant. According to USA Today, the training is “compulsory for all officers, non-commissioned officers and civilians who work with soldiers” and stemmed from a decision made by former Defense Secretary Ash Carter “to rescind the military’s ban on transgender troops.” “The training module specifically outlines key roles and responsibilities of commanders, transgender soldiers, military medical providers and administrative management organizations,” said Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson in an email according to USA Today. USA Today further reports that “the Army has planned the training for months in order to meet the July 1 deadline,” in reference to a decree by former President Barack Obama that all branches of the military implement plans for inclusion of transgender personnel by July 1.
Some officers have already completed the module, which takes 50 minutes. According to Fox News, the training module states that “soldiers must accept living and working conditions that are often austere, primitive, and characterized by little or no privacy.” As such, the module reportedly states, transgender individuals will not be granted a separate washroom but will use bathrooms that match their gender identity. That reportedly includes transgender soldiers who have not undergone gender reassignment surgery. The module also reportedly states that “transgender soldiers with a medical condition, including pregnancy, will be treated the same as any other soldier with that condition.” Fox News further cites Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty executive director Ron Crews as calling for Defense Secretary James Mattis to put an end to the “nonsense.” “Millions of dollars and training hours have been consumed with lectures on how to deploy transgender personnel in a war zone that has laws against that behavior,” Crews reportedly said. “Military commanders should be focused on fighting wars, not on how to deal with transgender personnel.”
Many people online appear to agree.
