Date of Award

Summer 6-29-2021

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Transgender people are constantly fighting for their rights, to be seen for who they are, and to be respected. When don’t ask, don’t tell was repealed on September 20, 2011, so many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the military celebrated their freedom to serve openly in the U.S. Armed Forces. In the years to come, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter stated June 2016, “We can’t allow barriers unrelated to a person’s qualifications to prevent us from recruiting and retaining those who can best accomplish the mission” (Gritz, 2019). Unfortunately, the ending of DADT did not include transgender soldier. If it had, would transgender people have been protected to serve openly? I will explore the many myths in why transgender people can’t serve in the military, but the focus will always be active-duty military and non-military perception on transgender people serving in the military. As I break down barriers for transgenders people to service openly in the military, I can expect an inclusive policy for transgender people.

Keywords: inclusive policy, transgender, selection and recruit, diversity, discrimination, social construction, transphobia, gender dysphoria, gender identity

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