Is this an immoral lifestyle 'choice?'

So in what appears to be his latest effort to distract from the ever widening Russian probe, Donald Trump proclaimed that transgender individuals will no longer be allowed to serve in the military.

Trump and his ilk subscribe to the false notion that transgender sexual identity is an immoral lifestyle choice.

Right, because who wouldn't choose a lifestyle where one is subjected to ridicule, shame, discrimination, and violence? Forty-one percent of people self identified as transgender have attempted suicide. That is 25 times the rate of the general population.

Is transgenderism a lifestyle "choice"? A growing body of research is pointing to biological origins. A 2008 discovery by Australian researchers of a genetic variation in transgender women - their receptor gene for the sex hormone testosterone was longer, making it less efficient at communicating signals - set off speculation that insufficient uptake of male hormones in utero contributed to a "more feminized brain."

And the brains of trans-people do look different. So, clearly science disputes the notion that one can simply "will themselves" to change their sexual identity. There is no evidence that transgender members of the military are less competent, courageous, or patriotic than their straight counterparts.

Let's consider some behaviors that do appear attributed to choice: bullying, mocking the handicapped, groping women, encouraging violence at rallies, making racist and sexist statements, and marginalizing Muslims and immigrants … these truly destructive behaviors and beliefs should create a lifetime bar from public service for anyone adhering to them.

Greg Newlin

Naperville