Transgender soldiers may get time off to have sex-change operations after military ban dropped
TRANSGENDER IS A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE Transgender people who want to join the military while presenting themselves as members of the opposite sex – and possibly receiving taxpayer-subsidized sex-change operations – may do so starting next May. According to a draft timeline recently circulated among top Department of Defense (DoD) personnel, the ban on "openly" transgender soldiers will be lifted on May 27, 2016. The DoD is considering a pilot program to let soldiers take a sabbatical from active service in order to "make their transition" – that is to say, procure hormone drugs or genital reconstruction surgery in order to appear more like a member of the opposite sex. Some reports claim that the implementation of transgender accommodations has incurred little to no opposition in the military. However, several current and former service members have indeed expressed concern over the change. In March, the AP reported reservations among top