Pete Hegseth says transgender troops who require ongoing hormone therapy are incompatible with military readiness. Yet he’s now encouraging testosterone screening and testosterone replacement therapy for cisgender troops.
To me, this exposes a moral inconsistency. If physician-prescribed hormone therapy disqualifies one American from serving their country, why does physician-prescribed hormone therapy make another more fit to serve? Both require ongoing medical care and monitoring, and many transgender service members served honorably and effectively for years while receiving hormone therapy.
When we stop judging people by their ability, character, and service, and instead judge them by who they are, we abandon the very ideals we claim to defend. A strong military should demand excellence, not ideological conformity. The measure of a patriot is how faithfully they serve, not whether their medical treatment fits someone else’s politics.
