Nov 25, 2005  |  By: MONICA HELMS  | COMMENTS     

A FEW YEARS back, the Sacramento Bee reported on a small veterans memorial in front of the California state capitol dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender veterans. The article reported that the term “transgender veterans” was an “oxymoron.”

But most people with gender identity issues are not fully aware of it until much later in life, long after they have passed the age of military service.

During the Vietnam War, some joined and volunteered to fight for their country because they felt the North Vietnamese could solve their “problem” for them. They wanted to die.

Like gays, lesbians and bisexual people, transgender people have served in every war this country has fought. Some women fought as men, even in the Revolutionary War. Lucy Brewer served as a male sailor on Old Ironsides under the name of George Baker during the War of 1812.

Women also fought in the Civil War as men. Their identities remained a secret until the day they died. And Cathay Williams, an African-American woman, became William Cathay and served as a buffalo soldier in 1866.

These are just a few stories out there.

THESE STORIES ARE about the women who lived as men and fought for their country. In 20th Century wars, inductees into the military had to take physicals before they could get in. This cut back on women serving as men.

When the country initiated the draft, closeted transgender male-to-females fought right next to non-transgender soldiers and sailors. The most famous World War II transgender veteran was Christine Jorgensen.

Even though doctors had started performing sex-change operations in the 1930s, Christine made the procedure well known when she returned from Denmark after her operation in 1952. She became such big news that she knocked the first H-bomb test right off the front page.

With the Internet and high-speed communications, transgender veterans have come together in groups and organizations, including the Transgender American Veterans Association. We have members across the country who fit all aspects of transgender and intersexed people.

The organization includes veterans who have served in World War II and every war since. One pre-op male member who recently served in Iraq e-mailed the TAVA group on her exploits, then came home recently to start her transition.

WE ESTIMATE THE number of transgender and intersex people in the population is between 0.5 to 2 percent. This includes any person who crosses gender lines, either on a permanent or temporary basis, including transsexuals, cross-dressers and other gender different people.

The number of Americans who have served in all the wars is estimated at about 48 million, meaning that as many as 1 million transgender people have served since the Revolutionary War.

About 24.5 million veterans are still alive today. This would mean that nearly a half-million transgender veterans are living today.

With those kinds of numbers, it amazes me how easily our service is forgotten by gay, lesbian and bisexual people, especially around the patriotic holidays.

During these holidays, news items come out about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and why it needs to be repealed. The law addresses homosexual behavior in the military, but often the military views anyone with gender identity issues as homosexual.

A number of transgender people have been discharged under DADT and many gay, lesbian and bisexual people forget this when talking about lifting the ban.

Transgender people have served this country proudly. We have received every medal this country has, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. We have served in every war and are still serving today.

We need to be remembered every time gay, lesbian and bisexual veterans are mentioned. We served, too