We’re seeing media headlines suggesting National Guard defiance of the Pentagon’s transgender ban, along the lines of “Five States Say They’ll Let Trans Troops Serve in National Guard.” But the headlines don’t quite get the story right. There is no defiance going on.  Guard leaders are saying they will use the discretion given under the […]

One interesting piece of information in this report is that the Army plans to hand out new dandy uniforms only after completion of basic training and initial specialty training. Why? Because during that period—measured in months—15% of enlistees drop out.  (On average, approximately one-third of enlistees fail to complete their initial term.)  But by all means, […]

There ought to be some rational explanation for why Map Pesqueira, a transgender cadet already enrolled in ROTC, was dismissed despite DOD’s promise to protect people currently in officer training from the ban. But there isn’t a rational explanation. The ROTC policy failed, and DOD is holding firm in refusing to explain (or simply not […]

  The transgender ban started injuring people so fast.  Why? Because, from DOD’s perspective, it doesn’t need to consider the accomplishments and potential that earned this cadet a military scholarship at a top national university.  It doesn’t need to consider whether he is a strong performer in ROTC. It doesn’t need to consider whether gender […]

Map Pesquiera is a UT Austin ROTC student who is the first known casualty of Trump’s transgender ban. The Pentagon promised that the ban would not hurt transgender Americans who are already serving in the military or in officer training programs. It took one day for this baseless assertion to be exposed as a falsehood. […]