An army chaplain in Texas is currently under investigation following his statement saying that transgender soldiers are "mentally unfit" and "unqualified to serve."
Reacting to Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin's support for lifting the ban of transgender individuals in the U.S. military, Army chaplain Maj. Andrew Calvert wrote controversial remarks on the Facebook page of Army Times, The Independent reported.
"How is rejecting reality (biology) not evidence that a person is mentally unfit (ill), and thus making that person unqualified to serve. There is little difference in this than over those who believe and argue for a "flat earth" despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The motivation is different, but the argument is the same. This person is a MedBoard for Mental Wellness waiting to happen. What a waste of military resources and funding!" Calvert's full statement says, captured by the Daily Mail.
Joe Biden issued an executive order reversing the ban on transgender people in the military, that same day.
An army veteran shared a screenshot of the chaplain's comments on Twitter and wrote that Calvert cannot be trusted in supporting the soldiers.
The chaplain immediately gained criticism from other people on Twitter, urging the Army to intervene. He defended his statement saying that it "is not the extreme in the slightest" and that it is "the very definition of conservative."
Following the uproar, the chaplain's brigade, through its spokesman Army major Jefferson Grimes, released a statement by an email to the Military Times revealing that an investigation is being launched over Calvert's remarks.
"Always remember to 'Think, Type, Post' when it comes to engaging in conversation on social media platforms. We are soldiers 24/7 and that means always treating people with dignity and respect. We are aware of the recent comments posted to the Army Times Facebook in regard to the ban being removed on transgender service members. This incident is under investigation," the statement says.
The command unit further stated that it supports the Commander in Chief, Secretary of Defense and all DoD policies and said that the U.S. Army has a strict standard against all forms of discrimination on the bases of gender identity.
Biden released the executive order on Jan. 25 revoking President Trump's Presidential Memorandum on March 23, 2018 (Military Service by Transgender Individuals). The new policy allows transgender individuals who meet the requirements to serve in the U.S. military without discrimination. The order forbids discharges, involuntary separations and reenlistment denials or continuation of service based on gender identity.
Relative to the issuance of the executive order, Biden released an official White House statement saying that the policy is a reinstatement of "a position that previous commanders and - as well as the Secretaries have supported" and that what he is doing is to enable qualified citizens to serve America in uniform. This, he said, would restore the situation that previously existed wherein qualified transgender personnel can serve the country in the U.S. military.
Maj. Calvert is a chaplain at the 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade in Forthood, Texas. In his Facebook page, he describes himself as a Christian, husband, father, pastor and army chaplain. Currently, he seems to have disabled his Facebook page, the Daily Mail noted.
