Slashdot Mirror
Tech Leaders Speak Out Against Trump Ban on Transgender Troops (axios.com)
Technology executives, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to social media to voice their displeasure over President Donald Trump's latest stance on transgendered people in the military.
"I am grateful to the transgender members of the military for their service," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "We are indebted to all who serve. Discrimination against anyone holds everyone back."
Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer said, "We honor and respect all who serve, including the transgender members of our military."
Salesforce said it "believes in equality for all. We support and thank all U.S. service members, including transgender Americans."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "Everyone should be able to serve their country -- no matter who they are."
Veteran entrepreneur Max Levchin urged support for transgender people across party lines. "Trans kids, soldiers etc need our support today and to know they are valued & respected regardless of politics. Let us not be divided."
Uber told news outlet Axios, "We owe the deepest debt of gratitude to all those who volunteer to serve in the US Armed Forces and defend our values. These patriotic Americans deserve to be honored and respected, not turned away because of who they are."
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said, "Discrimination in any form is wrong for all of us."
"I am grateful to the transgender members of the military for their service," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "We are indebted to all who serve. Discrimination against anyone holds everyone back."
Brad Smith, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer said, "We honor and respect all who serve, including the transgender members of our military."
Salesforce said it "believes in equality for all. We support and thank all U.S. service members, including transgender Americans."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "Everyone should be able to serve their country -- no matter who they are."
Veteran entrepreneur Max Levchin urged support for transgender people across party lines. "Trans kids, soldiers etc need our support today and to know they are valued & respected regardless of politics. Let us not be divided."
Uber told news outlet Axios, "We owe the deepest debt of gratitude to all those who volunteer to serve in the US Armed Forces and defend our values. These patriotic Americans deserve to be honored and respected, not turned away because of who they are."
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said, "Discrimination in any form is wrong for all of us."
The policy this is reversing has only existed about a year. Why are people acting like there was a trans brigade charging the shores of Normandy?
You say discrimination is wrong yet you actively censor things you don't like. Also don't you have a couple of sex discrimination lawsuit up against you?
One of the great thing about our country is that they are allowed to voice their opinion, whether you care to hear it or not.
Pot
Sorry, don't like it? Leave.
Kettle
In debates about Christianity, there are two groups: those looking for answers, and those looking to just ask questions.
People with mental illness were already prevented from joining the military before this so this is really no change. A group with a 40 percent suicide rate and people expect us to put guns in their hands? I can see post transition and post operation trans participating but while make a transition is just too crazy. Also in my life 99% of every trans person I have met is or was addicted to drugs.
So the US military will cease to be the target of more progressive social experiments for a few years. End of the world stuff right there; the virtuepocalypse is upon us!
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
Agree. Why should tech CEO's or celebrities be a better source of general political ideas than Joe Sixpack? Opinions are like assholes: everyone has one. If they comment on technology as it intersects politics, then they can be considered subject matter experts; granted a biased one, but at least it would directly involve their field.
If military generals commented on this topic, it would be newsworthy because they have experience with military crew interaction. But if the military generals commented on say the iPhone's UI, their opinion is no more valid than Joe Sixpack's. (PS, yes, the Orange Man is a jerk.)
Table-ized A.I.
If that's the case, then why do we always see left-wingers resorting to censorship ("moderation") here, at reddit, and at so many other online discussion forums? Left-wingers only support freedom of speech when you're saying what they want to hear. Otherwise they want to silence you. We don't see this hatred of free speech from non-left-wingers.
What's passive aggressive. This is a major point of contention.
I don't give a rat's a$$ about who one marries, who one f**ks, how one dresses. Do what you want.
But the military cares about suicide rates. It's a problem. Add to that the well document FACT that transgendered people commit suicide at a far greater rate than the average person (whether or not they have had surgery) and they (the military) have a good reason to be concerned.
Whether they should or should not prevent transgendered people in the military is another issue. It is not, however, a bullsh!t consideration.
If you're scared of your govt then you need to further restrict its powers
Vote 3rd Party in 2016 and beyond
I am a Vet and a SGT. They already serve. They are in the service and are part of the human race. Ignorance is not bliss. Trumps myopic perspective ignorant at best and bigoted at worst.
Seriously.
As someone who spent seven years in active service, and trained many soldiers in Canada, worrying about someone's sexual orientation or whatever was dead last on my concerns. As in never spent a moment thinking about it, or caring about it.
Are we sure he's sane?
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
You can use quotation marks all you want. He was elected. He is the current President of the United States of America.
You don't have to like it, but lets face i t- the "vocal minority" has been dictating the nation's policy and direction for decades.
No that's projecting your issues not the military's it has nothing to do with hatred.
per my other post:
As a former Army combat grunt It has nothing to do with "mental illnesses" there's plenty of non-sexual problems with people on the front line it's more about not needing the SJW bullshit that comes along with it.
I'm not going to treat you any differently than the rest of the assholes getting shot at with me and nearly all of the B & T'ers I've meet can't help but push there issues at everyone around them.
Hell my best friend at the time was gay but he didn't advertise or act any differently when the uniform was on. There's allot of that in the US military it's the ones that can't act like a normal soldier that has real problems.
The Military limits and even abrogates many rights simply due to the nature and mission of the organization.
We can't have people or missions endangered because of some SJW position.
The Generals have declared that is a danger.
The military doesn't pay for breast implants, they shouldn't pay for trans surgery. If they want to argue that they have to because it's a medical condition, then discharge them. People are discharged due to medical conditions all the time.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Suicide rate for trans is around 40%. Before or after surgery.
Clearly the desire to be what you not is a symptom of something and not the something itself.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Same argument was made about gay people serving. Turned out not to be an issue.
The US military spends 10x as much on Viagra as it does on gender reassignment.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
"The Generals have declared that is a danger."
The generals have very much NOT declared that it a danger.
The study from 2016 said it was no problem. The current study is not complete yet.
Meanwhile, the military is prohibited from selecting who it sees fit.
+5 Insightful, really?
/. was a place where facts and nuance too precedence over bias and politics. Sadly, this place has changed.
The Generals have declared that is a danger.
Is there data to back this up or could it be just the bigoted opinion of a few jerks? The same things were said about blacks, gays, and women.
The military doesn't pay for breast implants, they shouldn't pay for trans surgery.
If paying for trans surgery was the issue then POTUS could have ended the military's policy of covering that procedure. There are about 15,000 trans people in the US military. If ALL of them had surgery (which they won't) at 100k a pop it would amount to 1.5 billion which is 0.1% of the cost of the F-35 program. This isn't about cost or "unit cohesion", this is about bigotry - just like it was for blacks, gays, and women.
I've always appreciated that
One of the great thing about our country is that they are allowed to voice their opinion
Yeah, tell that to Trump supporters in Portland. These days, being a Republican in a blue state can cost your your job, your friends, your property, your personal safety, even your life if you're not careful. It's part of what has driven me and many others away from the modern left.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
The idea that someone is going to physically alter their body in extremely intrusive fashion that requires all kinds of lifetime medical and even surgical regimens to maintain them and the military is supposed to 1.) pay for it...
Seems like an odd statement considering what the military inflict on a lot of its employees. If you had to some up the US military in one sentence then physically altering bodies in an extremely intrusive fashion that requires all kinds of lifetime medical and even surgical regimens to maintain them, is about as accurate a statement as you can get.
But I get your point, and I could buy into it if Trump provided some numbers to back up the logic, eg Trans medical costs are X which is negatively affecting our defence capability for reasons Y. But from what I've seen, were talking numbers of 1 tomahawk missle per year total, ie chicken feed.
So it has nothing to costs (if it did I could support it), it has to do with the politics of division which the GOP are becoming addicted to. And this division is only weakening the country overall.