Navy to require all sailors to undergo transgender education training by 2017

There are both positive and negative comparisons to be made on whether people "choose" to be different and how that verbiage is used (I have a very unique perspective and experience with that). In fact choosing the correct words to discuss is in and of itself difficult. Thanks :-)

PO2 Robert Aitchison, you are correct, being transgender in its self is not a choice. The choice comes when the person chooses to seek the help and make the changes in their life, to be the person they are.

SGT (Join to see), Most people don't choose to risk losing all their family and friends, being killed, beaten, fired from a job, loosing their home, an just completely socially unaccepted. I, myself didn't choose to be transgender, I chose to stop trying to be something I wasn't.

I am not in the military anymore, but the way I see it is this; everyone is forced to receive training that they may not agree with. I got very tired of every couple months having all day training on suicide, rape, sexual assault/harassment. I would not have then or now done any of those, and the people I was around either would not have nor did they. One person in my Battalion did I knew hew, but was not around him much as he was in a different Company. This person was one of the cases that the suicide prevention classes don't talk about. He was always happy, always laughing; we found outnthat there was trouble with parents, just lost mom and dad was dying unless he had the money for some medical procedures, now this is hear say may not be 100% accurate, but he was hoping his dad to get his SGLI to cover the medical bills.

I think we are all adults and should not need to have training on how to treat other human beings; but until everyone does do that, the training will continue. Training for homosexuality, most people don't care, "as long as they don't touch me". I'm sure we have all hear that. That is also like like transgender, no one is telling you, or anyone else that they must follow it, or even hang out with them, truth is, if someone doesn't want to talk to me great, I probably don't care to talk to them. Racism in this context is the same. Back before when black people had to use a different water fountain, a different restroom, could not eat with white people; it was considered a social experiment for them to have all their rights. There are still people that believe in all that and it should still be that way. I believe everyone should be treated with the dignity and respect as anyone else, that is until they do or say something that doesn't deserve that.

Transgender people, at least the ones I know personally only was to be treated as the person they are, no who they were. That is using the name they prefer and the pronouns such as he or she. I know some people are not like this, but the majority are, we don't want to "make you like us" or "you must accept me". I know and understand that that not everyone will be comfortable with transgender, it is human nature to fear what we don't understand, but we all have to the fear aside, the best was is try to learn, ask questions. If someone still doesn't understand okay, but at least they tried. It still should not mean to be rude, disrespectful, or just hateful to another person because you (collective you) don't like or understand something. There is many things I don't like or agree with, I even find some of it offensive and disgusting; that doesn't give me the right to complain about theirs. I could say some is against my religious or moral beliefs; but then I would be a bigot and hypocrite, because if this is ok but not this, such as in the example of divorce and ______ (take your pick); divorce is bad and Immust let everyone that is divorced they will go to hell, but the ______ is okay.

This is my opinion and beliefs. Everyone is different and we just have to accept that much. The things that can't be changed and doesn't effect your life, take with a grain of salt and let it go.

I think I will take your suggestion and just let it go. Thank you for your reply to my post SSG Jacey. Respectfully.

SGT (Join to see) - it's a lot less stressful.

This is certainly a valid view point, thank you. I also point out that there are those that think that while chromosomes are affected during development, so are other organs in the body, heart, lungs, brain, etc. Psychologists link certain behavior to brain development, they state that there are those that have no feelings what so ever at all. Some powerful people do not view those they effect with their decisions the same as others, they are less apathetic to someone losing their job, home etc., all they see is money, no emotion (not all mind you). I believe as do others that the mind controls 100% of our body. There are studies that show that those who pray can heal from illness faster because of their beliefs, is this the mind having an effect on the body? Our minds are the control center for everything, stress causes illness, weakens the immune system, can our minds also control our chromosomes and how we feel about our sexuality or our gender? Interesting view point about genetics and embryo development. Regards.

Well, I opened the issue because there are a few things I see mainstream today that used to be thought of differently than they are today. (edit: I never mentioned the bible as not everyone gets their morals from there, I never intended for their to be a biblical implication to my question :-)

I can cite specific examples. Lots of people never discuss these issues because they are such hot button topics. I am neither against or for, nor do I personally care what someone does, but for some reason it has become worth spending millions of dollars and so much time on.

Like any subject, I know there are many different feelings and opinions, but I see now that in most instances we are not even able to have a civil discord concerning the subject to see how we differ and how we each view a subject. (Need I mention politics?) It is labeled hate when we disagree with someone on something instead of just a disagreement.

Not you, but I see another post while writing this one: I see some people do not even want to have an open discussion but instead want to label and go the way I knew from the get go this discussion would go instead of being fair and open minded. Ugh, oh well, I tried to learn, but instead get slammed as expected. I think I will go learn how to delete topics I start now.

You may never have intended for there to be a biblical implication to your question, but when you bring up morals and beliefs, it goes there because that's where most of the opposition to equal rights for LBGTQ folk comes from. People who purport to be Christian, and want to say "this is wrong because my God says so", whether it's true or not.

CW3, I concur with your assessment. However, my morals and beliefs are my own, formulated on my own without biblical persuasion. I never tell someone that because they like or do not like, agree or disagree with my point of view or my beliefs that they are wrong. I accept the fact that they have a differing opinion and I respect that. I can only ask for the same curiosity? Thanks.