Drag Queen U.S. Military?

If the forces of political correctness get their way, the drag showat Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan may be a sign of things to come in the Obama military. As part of last week’s panel discussion at the Palm Center, activists announced their next mission for the U.S. military: open transgendered service. Calling it the next “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” extremists argue that it’s time to lift the ban on servicemen who dress as women and visa versa. Using wildly inflated (and unverifiable) numbers, the panel estimated that 15,000 service members “self-identify as another gender” and suffer in silence under the current policy.

“We are determined not only that there is no compelling medical reason for the ban, but also that the ban itself is an expensive, damaging and unfair barrier to health care access for the 15,450 transgender personnel who serve currently in the active, Guard, and reserve components,” said former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. Regardless of the medical considerations, there are very compelling security reasons for the ban, which prevent the widespread disruption and distraction that open transgenderism would cause. And although the Pentagon sought to reassure Americans that overturning the policy is not a priority, the reality is that anything is possible under a commander-in-chief that uses his nation’s fighting force as a battleground for social experimentation.

Considering the explosion of sexual abuse and assault in the ranks in the past few years, this latest push could be a fatal blow to unit cohesion and readiness. Imagine the chaos — and risks — of putting transgender soldiers in barracks, showers, and other situations that could compromise our troops’ safety. The Pentagon downplayed the effects of open homosexuality when it was implemented in 2011 — something it will have a tough time doing now, with the rate of male-on-male assaults at a record high.

For now, it looks like the military will have relatively no help fixing its most fundamental problem, which Marine General James Amos foreshadowed during his testimony in 2010: “To add any element of sexual competition, sexuality, or hesitance in trust would unquestionably prevent the military bonds — and destroy [them].” Now, that nightmare is the military’s reality. And adding another layer of sexual dysfunction would only undermine the reputation of a military that our service members have sacrificed so much to achieve.