by Anne P. Mitchell, Esq. - zero hyperbole and 100% facts in plain English about what's going on with this administration and the law
Fellow Americans,
Trump and his administration have renewed their efforts to deny not just treatment, but respect and dignity, to our service members and veterans who identify as anything other than male or female as designated at birth.
A brave follower of mine, very highly placed in the Veteran's Health Administration (yes, I have confirmed everything) has shared with me a new directive that was issued at the end of last week.
With the title "Reiterating Executive Order Compliance Responsibilities", it was sent to Veterans Health Administration Senior Leaders, Veterans Integrated Service
Network Directors, and Medical Center Directors.
In other words, this directive affects *all* VA health centers.
While I won't disclose the document publicly (privately I am sending it to Notes from the Front members - so far this is the *only* credible, non-social media account where you will find it, so I am being *very* careful to protect my source and myself), I will tell you what, among other things, it does:
It orders all Veteran's Health Administration services to:
- Recognize only two sexes, male and female
- Eliminate all DEI programs, gender-identity based and gender-ideology based initiatives, and any activities that "promote gender identity or gender ideology"
As a veteran, I am *outraged*! Haven't our men and women in the military already gone through enough *in service to our country*? Only to be told 'the version of you with whom you identify is actually a *non-entity*? Trauma, PTSD, and now to be *denied* your very being??
And as a lawyer, well, "any activities that promote gender identity or gender ideology" is *so* squishy (yes, that's a legal term) that it is both unenforceable and yet designed to be able to enforce it against *anything* at which this administration chooses to throw it.
I'm *positive* that this will be challenged legally, if only based on that squishiness (vagueness and ambiguity are real grounds for a legal challenge), but in the meantime my heart goes out to everyone affected by this. Just one more example that being an American doesn't mean anything to this administration unless you are the "right" (see what I did there?) sort of American.
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P.S. If you actually read all the way to the bottom please leave a comment that includes the word "squishy". It will show me that my efforts aren't in vain and that people actually *do* read these things, and it will drive those who just skim crazy wondering just why everyone is talking about extortion! ;~)