A confidential Pentagon memo recently put the existence of a transgender U.S. Army clinic in North Carolina on the map.
The video of transgender airman “Emmett” highlighted by Libs of TikTok this month describing the process of transitioning attracted almost 3 million views.
During the video, the woman described her visit to the Air Force’s transgender clinic in San Antonio to begin taking male hormones.
With elevator music playing in the background, Emmett said airmen wishing to transition meet with their health providers, who put together a packet and send them to the Texas clinic.
“Back in May, when I had my initial meeting with my mental health provider, they said it was medically necessary for me to transition,” Emmett said. “By the time you get to the clinic, things move fast.”
“I should be on hormones within a couple of weeks,” she gushed in the video. “Which is insane. I’ve been dreaming about this moment.”
According to the Air Force, the trans-airman described operates under the 59th Medical Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
Emmett said they put airmen on temporary duty while at the clinic, where they meet with a team of endocrinologists, nutritionists, surgeons, and others who put together a treatment plan for hormones and surgeries.
She then talked about taking the next step to get a letter recommending “top surgery,” which is removing both breasts.
Emmett discussed getting exceptions to the policy allowing her to wear male uniforms and go to the men’s restroom.
The San Antonio clinic was operational before 2021. It offers cross-sex hormones, mental health services, speech therapy, and surgical consultation, according to the website.
In July, a confidential Pentagon memo dated Feb. 1 discussed the type of services soldiers could access.
The North Carolina clinic offers transgender soldiers mental health “care,” hormones, genital surgeries, mastectomies and breast implants, and voice “therapy,” according to the memo.
Transgender soldiers could undergo various surgeries after taking hormones for 12 months, according to the memo.
The memo discussed delaying deployment for up to 300 days for transgender soldiers using cross-sex hormones during their transition, which critics say illustrates the serious issues surrounding allowing transgender individuals to serve.
It called the delay in deployment necessary, so the transgender soldier could “stabilize” while taking hormones.
Alan Hopewell, a neuropsychologist in Fort Worth, Texas, is in the unique position of having served in the military for 28 years and having treated those with gender dysphoria—confusion and distress over biological sex.
Mr. Hopewell has sounded the alarm surrounding the impact cross-sex hormones could have on transgender soldiers who frequently suffer from other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Combined those factors with the stress of combat could create a volatile mix, Mr. Hopewell told The Epoch Times.
Transgender soldiers frequently see specialists such as endocrinologists, which wouldn’t be available in a field of combat, he pointed out.
Their medical and mental health issues make it unlikely they will be retained for long in the military, he said, adding that the taxpayer may see little benefit from the expense of medical transitioning.
Under the Biden administration, the military changed its rules in 2021 to allow those with gender dysphoria to serve.
Some military officials have dismissed medication and service concerns surrounding transgender soldiers, saying the military should not discriminate.
An article on the Texas clinic’s website in 2021 described President Joe Biden’s order allowing transgenders in the military to serve openly “further strengthened” the San Antonio clinic.
The article quoted Chari McMahon, a licensed clinical social worker, saying that treatment could get started after service members were diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
“This is an opportunity for transgender service members to really develop a peer group of other transgender service members and provide support along the way,” she said.
“We want them to be able to build that connection and walk with each other through the process.”
The article states that clinic providers are available through virtual health for hormone therapy and mental health appointments if services are unavailable locally.
Ms. McMahon said in the article she enjoyed seeing the progression of people as they transition.
“Being able to see them when they come back, and they’re able to live fully in their affirmed gender, they’re just happier,” she said.
“They’re healthier, and being able to see the impact of how assisting them on their journey has really helped them thrive is amazing,” she added.
