Trans Spirituality – Veterans Day Special Edition

I am writing this column on Veteran’s Day weekend. Reflecting on my time in the Navy, I enlisted in 1979 as a way to escape an abusive father and essentially save my life. Unlike many trans folx, I was not aware of who I was at the time. In fact, I had no real life plan, and didn’t really even know what kind of career I was supposed to have. So, I did well in the Navy, got a Navy ROTC scholarship, went to UCLA and finished my college degree and was commissioned as an officer, and went on to serve for an entire career. You can read about all of this in my book, We are God’s Children Too. I retired from the Navy in January 2001, shortly before the attacks in the Northeastern U.S.

  While I never knew who I was in the Navy, I did do some trans things, as I reflected on in my book. I periodically crossdressed and removed my body hair — I just didn’t know why. Amazingly, I had my wife’s support for this. She knew something I didn’t!

In my penultimate (second to last) tour in the Navy, I had a huge spiritual awakening. I was stationed at the Navy’s operational testing command, and I was, in a way, being programmed to go to work as a “Beltway Bandit” (defense contractor) after retirement. I was pursuing a Master of Engineering Management degree at the time, to support this potential future employment. But one night, during a lecture in the capstone course, I had a major AHA moment. I was not supposed to be a Beltway Bandit; I was supposed to be a rabbi — so I changed the course of my life. This was one of the steps that led me to finding who I am today.

I retired from the Navy in January 2001. I was very fortunate. In 22 years, I saw no combat duty, and I had caused no deaths. This was particularly noteworthy because several of my classmates had been in command when major events occurred on their ships that led to significant deaths on their ships. So, I am very grateful, and thank God that I was able to complete my service without having caused loss of life. I have no regrets for having served, because of the kind of career I had. But. . .

I DO regret the way the military was used during my career, and even more so, how it has been used since 9/11. The military belongs to the Federal Department of DEFENSE. Yet, far too many operations that the military is tasked with are offensive operations. And when we examine them closely, they seem to be Colonial/Imperial operations.

The U.S. attacked Iraq in 2003, in what was an escalation of a continuous war since Desert Storm. It was not, contrary to popular belief, a new war. The U.S. had been bombing Iraq weekly since the end of Storm. But the explanation that President Bush II used for going to Iraq ultimately devolved to “Nation Building.” That is just a buzz word for a Colonial/Imperial war. The U.S. has no business colonizing ANY country.

Sadly, that isn’t how her history reads. From the time the Puritans landed in the 1600’s there has been a belief on the part of Americans that there is a Divine sanction to colonize North America and destroy the indigenous peoples who live here. The White Anglo-Saxon Protestants who were the Puritans have evolved into the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants who are the Evangelical Christians today. And they are White Supremacists today, as they were 500 years ago.

Thus, colonizing Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia or any other Islamic country fits within their mandate, as they see it. So does taking away women’s rights. They claim that they are “Pro-Life.” But that is only true as it pertains to unborn fetuses, because it allows them to exert control over women. When it comes to war, they are happy to take lives. Police using excessive force? No problem. For-profit prison industrial complex? Sure – God told them to! Death penalty – that’s a biblical commandment after all! They are only Pro-Life when it’s convenient to them.

So, they have no problem taking lives when it comes to queer life. Whether it’s any LGB adult, or a trans teen who wants medical care, if they can find a way to restrict our lives, they will do it. And with the political scene as it is right now, things seem to be getting worse. Many people say that I’m being hyperbolic and hysterical when I say this. To them I say, go read Martin Niemoller’s poem “First they came for the Socialists. . .”

These are very dangerous times, whether you are trans, BIPOC, disabled, Jewish, female, or anyone other than a WASP male who is cis/het/binary, rich, able, etc. . . . I pray to God that this ends soon and some sort of reason is restored to our country!

Peace out, Rona

Tags: featured, politics, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul, Transgender Politics