Removing Transgender People from Military is Inefficient and Wasteful

It’s very difficult to quantify exactly how many transgender people are currently serving in the US Military.  Especially in the current environment, it’s not safe to come out. I’ve seen estimates ranging from 2,000 – 8,000 people.

One argument for removing them from service is that gender dysphoria costs too much to treat. Read this paragraph from the Associated Press article of March 12, 2025 at this link https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-troops-ban-lawsuit-87921968ba20606efc25584c8bb70a31 

“The judge said the Defense Department has spent roughly $5.2 million annually over the past decade to provide medical care to treat gender dysphoria — a miniscule percentage of the military’s multi-billion dollar budget. As a point of comparison, Reyes noted that the military spends around $42 million per year on medication treating erectile dysfunction.”

There is nothing true about transgender service members being less than their colleagues in terms of ability, morals, honor, or military readiness.  Replacing 2,000-8,000 already trained and long serving people in our military will cost a great deal and take a great deal of time. Recruiting for the military is not in such a comfortable state that we can easily replace these trained and experienced service members.  I consider it wasteful to remove these people from military service. It’s also immoral and disgusting to suggest that they are less than their colleagues in any way.

If a trained and experienced transgender person is defending me, I don’t give a crap what their experience is with gender as long as they do their job. They have, they will,  and there is no good reason to remove them from service.

 

Imagine what it would feel like if we had a president – of any gender –  who decided to keep the transgender service members and stop paying for erectile dysfunction meds in the military to save money.  Just imagine what that would feel like.

Highlights from 4 articles in the Associated Press

Highlights from 4 articles in the Associated Press today:

Article “Here’s where jobs and programs are being cut at the nation’s top health agencies”

https://apnews.com/article/trump-hhs-cdc-fda-nih-cms-layoffs-5aba829b829d9e1a0167c4a0d968aadb 

  1. Thousands of people responsible for tracking health trends and disease outbreaks, conducting and funding medical research, monitoring the safety of food and medicine, and administering health insurance programs for nearly half of the country were laid off Tuesday at the nation’s top health agencies.
    1. The moves will shrink the Department of Health and Human Services to 62,000 positions, lopping off nearly a quarter of its staff.
    2. The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders, leaving the federal government without many of the key experts who have long guided U.S. decisions on medical research, drug approvals and other issues.
    3. FDA is losing workers “who review new drug and medical implants, set policy for electronic cigarettes and tobacco products as well as the entire press office staff. The agency’s top tobacco regulator was removed from his post, along with several of his deputies.”
    4. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is the world’s leading medical research agency — funding research into cancer, Alzheimer’s, HIV and other devastating diseases… has lost 1,200 jobs on Tuesday plus 1,000 NIH employees recently fired, both scientists and staff who administer billions in research funding. The administration also has canceled hundreds of NIH grants to scientists around the country.
    5. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) which oversees Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace, is cutting 300 jobs. Reported cuts so far have focused on the agency’s Office of Minority Health, Office of Equal Rights and Opportunity as well as the Office of Program Operations & Local Engagement.
  2. Article “FACT FOCUS: Warren Buffett did not praise Trump’s recent economic policies”

    1. https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-warren-buffett-trump-tariffs-video-52e6b63bd770e73ca54eae7a0c7bbcc3
  3. Article  “Senate up late voting on GOP tax breaks and spending cuts plan that’s central to Trump agenda”

    1. https://apnews.com/article/senate-budget-tax-cuts-trump-485845a9c0b7dfc5d2194d4c1e4723ae
    2. …opposition from Democrats, who are unified against what they decry as tax breaks for the wealthy at the expense of federal programs Americans rely on.
    3. And Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the lone GOP opponent to the plan so far, questioned the math being used by his colleagues that he said would pile on the debt load. “Something’s fishy,” he said.
  4. Article  “Trump administration issues demands on Harvard as conditions for billions in federal money”

    1. https://apnews.com/article/harvard-antisemitism-demands-columbia-84d6265d2fbfcd5534006edff638160e
    2. The government’s letter is a “dominance test,” not an effort to fight antisemitism, said Kirsten Weld, a Harvard history professor and president of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Your Rights When You Protest

Be prepared.

When you go out to protest, read up ahead of time and have a clear understanding of the challenges ahead of you, especially when you may face a challenge to your first amendment rights.

 

Protesters’ Rights

https://www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/en/know-your-rights/demonstrations-and-protests

These are great simple tips for going out to protest. The key one for me I hadn’t thought about was ensuring someone else NOT at the protest knows where I am going.

https://www.hrc.org/resources/tips-for-preparedness-peaceful-protesting-and-safety

 

Here’s a great infographic from Amnesty International (hat tip to my friend Dr. Jeffrey Huo)

Here’s where I am going on April 5th  https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/event/765702/ 

Who’s with me?

Private Fundraiser for Women and Gender Minorities in EK Crown

Announcing a private fundraiser I’m running with some help from my friend Countess Meggie of the East Kingdom. See the announcement text below:

Announcement

With support from the Order of Defense in the East Kingdom, Dame Sophia The Orange of Atlantia is running a private fundraiser to help make it easier for women and gender minorities who wish to compete in the East Kingdom’s Spring Crown Tournament.
Support from this fundraiser will take the form of hand delivered gas gift cards.

For Combatants

If you have submitted your letter of intent for EK Spring Crown Tournament, been accepted into the tournament, and you would like to receive support, please send an email to Countess Meggie (East Kingdom) at marguerite.lachlainn AT gmail.com giving the SCA name under which you have submitted your letter of intent. Combatants are encouraged to accept support.

How we’re doing it:

All monies raised will be distributed. The total amount of funds collected will be divided by the number of requests for support received by Countess Meggie. That number, minus any required processing fees, will determine the value of the gas cards.
This is a private fundraiser and is not an official SCA activity. If you would like to support this effort, please donate at the GoFundMe link above. Participation is more important than the amount of donation, so please donate a small amount to demonstrate your support of women and gender minorities fighting in Crown Tournament. The total number of people donating, number of combatants receiving support, and total funds raised will be publicly reported after the tournament.
If you have a cadet or a provost who meets the criteria and has submitted their letter of intent, please encourage them to drop Countess Meggie an email.
Countess Marguerite inghean Lachlainn, OR, OP, OL, OD
She/Her

Please share!

(I’d like to ask for some help from my friends promoting this private fundraiser. We can’t post this in official SCA venues. It must be shared via personal contacts. – Sophia)