While we applaud President Obama for finally making the push to dismantle the military's inherently discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, we are discouraged once again by the stunning ignorance of that persists among our elected officials. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, on Feb. 3 told NPR that he feared removing the policy would "open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites" in addition to regular ol' gays and lesbians, whom he also opposes. Hermaphroditism, or, more accurately, intersex, is a biological condition that is present in up to 1 in 1,500 births. It does not refer to sexual orientation. There apparently is no current ban on intersex people serving in the military.There is also no reason to fear gays, lesbians, or transgender people serving in the military. Indeed, they are already there.
