Top 10 Underestimated Discrimination Issues in the Military
Last year more than 20,000 sexual assaults are estimated to have occurred on bases or in outposts, while a shocking 14% are all that were reported to any superior or official.
It may be surprising to some, but the leading contributor to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, among women serving in the military is MST (Military Sexual Trauma).
Many of the brave men and women who serve this country return to civilian life plagued by PTSD and depression that leads to loss of jobs or home and family, and substance abuse.
It took until 2011 for the military to reverse their policy of “don’t ask don’t tell”, the clearly unconstitutional regulation banning anyone who was not heterosexual from being open about their sexual orientation. Even with the official word on the subject, opponents of the change in policy argue that it puts soldiers at risk in the field. This statement alone seems to suggest that rampant prejudice still controls the military.
From 1993 to 2011, over 14,000 people were discharged on the grounds of violating the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. These discharged personnel came at a price of around $50,000 per person.
Not overturned with the policy was the ability of those who are transgender to enlist in the military even though roughly 1 in every 5 transgender persons is currently a member of the military, which means these soldiers and personnel remain in hiding. The change in the regulation does not extend to the transgender community due to what some call a discriminating medical ruling calling all transgender persons “mentally unstable.”
Not so surprisingly, a mere three percent of Caucasian officers have reported discrimination while enlisted, while the same group who are Hispanic or African American report 27%.
What may be surprising though is that among the ranks it is almost even with reports of discrimination in their current unit at a rate of 19% for Hispanics, 22% for Caucasians and 24% for blacks.
While African Americans have been serving, both drafted and voluntarily since the 18th century, 1948 was the year we saw the first mixed troops integrating all races in the military.
The military remains one of the few workplaces which can legally, for now anyway, discriminate based on genetic factors. These factors can include predisposition for mental illness, colorblindness and others.
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