The Defense Department garnered criticism for promoting the story of a self-identified transgender soldier in a post meant to celebrate “Pride Month.”
Army Sustainment Command Cyber Division Chief Rachel Jones, a man who claims to be a woman, recounted in an interview with the Defense Department that he was “depressed and suicidal” while attempting to conceal his identity, even during his deployment. He “privately came out” four years ago despite a policy from the Trump administration banning self-identified transgender individuals from military service, a statute which the Biden administration nixed.
“Even when deployed, the greatest threat to my own safety was myself,” Jones said. “Since getting into therapy, I was able to detangle my feelings about being transgender and disconnect it with being evil and the suffocating shame. I started to accept and love myself.”
Some 40% of self-identified transgender adults have attempted suicide at some point in their lives, according to data from the University of California Los Angeles. While many lawmakers say that medical procedures claiming to transition the individuals to the opposite sex reduce the likelihood of suicide, other studies have revealed that suicide rates rise in the years after the procedures. Many researchers, including those within the federal government, have noted the poor design of studies claiming the procedures are beneficial for mental health.
Former President Donald Trump observed in his policy banning self-identified transgender individuals from military service that “persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria” often require “substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgery.” President Joe Biden reversed the order shortly after his inauguration, contending that “transgender service has had no significant impact on operational effectiveness or unit cohesion in foreign militaries.”
Stephanie Allers, who the Defense Department described in the post as a “master resilience trainer,” nevertheless claimed that “living as our true selves helps mitigate suicide.” Jones compared his move to identify publicly as a woman to removing a heavy rucksack.
“While the ruck is on you can’t move like you should, your body aches and you just want to stop. When you take the ruck off, everything feels lighter and easier and there’s a massive sense of relief,” he remarked. “It was very risky to my career to be seen in public as a transwoman prior to the ban being lifted.”
The Defense Department under the Biden administration has repeatedly lauded the advent of “Pride Month” and otherwise advanced leftist ideologies in the military. Biden appointed Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, another man who claims to be a woman, to serve as an admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Even before Biden reversed the ban on transgender service, fifty-six retired Generals and Flag Offices openly rebuked Trump for enacting the policy, contending that “there is no reason to single out these brave men and women and deny them the medical care that they require.”
The public statements in favor of homosexuality and transgenderism from senior administration officials and military brass occur even as the Defense Department struggles to recruit new soldiers. Officials from the Army, for instance, missed recruitment targets by 25% in the last fiscal year, creating additional pressure for the National Guard and Army Reserve.
