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Posted on Dec 11, 2017 Print this Article

Defense Department Retains Pro-LGBT Obama Holdover to Recommend Transgender Policies Contrary to Trump Guidance

It is no secret that holdover officials in several government departments have been promoting the agenda of former President Barack Obama, instead of faithfully executing the policies of President Donald Trump.

One of these high-level officials is Anthony Kurta, the former Deputy Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy under former Secretary Ashton Carter.  In that capacity, Kurta was responsible for implementation of some of the most harmful social engineering directives in military history.

In recent months, Kurta has been operating as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness, in a position to make key decisions at major turning-points during 2017.  For reasons unknown, Mr. Kurta was nominated and is awaiting confirmation as Principal Deputy to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness.

In this high-level position, Kurta will continue to have prime opportunities to undermine President Trump’s stated goals, particularly on military/social issues of concern to CMR.

Mr. Kurta recently submitted written responses to inquiries from the Senate Armed Services Committee.  (See pp. 20-21) It is most important to note that Kurta identified himself as the Chairman of the “Transgender Panel of Experts” a position that should not have been assigned to the official who was personally responsible for imposition of Obama’s LGBT agenda on our military.

On June 12, 2017, Mr. Kurta instigated and participated in an “LGBT Pride” special interest event at the Pentagon, even though President Trump had not issued a presidential proclamation.

  • The pro-LGBT RAND Corporation prominently thanked Mr. Kurta for his help in producing a deeply-flawed report promoting transgenders in the military.  This pre-ordained polemic, which was not a “study,” used questionable methodology to exaggerate the estimated number of transgenders service and to downplay the costs and consequences of accommodating more individuals who suffer from gender dysphoria.
  • On Mr. Kurta’s watch, three days after the Inauguration of Donald Trump, a Navy Department official issued a “Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap,” which established five Navy Diversity Councils, Working Groups, and Boards, plus two more for the Marine Corps. (See CMR Special Report, July 2017, pp. 12-14)

It makes no sense to put an advocate of military LGBT causes in charge of an internal group of unknown “experts,” which is supposed to produce a report consistent with President Trump’s Memorandum providing guidance on August 25, 2017.

The National Center for Transgender Equality is demanding Defense Department funding for all forms of what they call “necessary” medical care, including surgeries for minor military children.  Kurta does not seem to have a problem with this, noting that minors can get DoD-subsidized hormone puberty blockers, which can have irreversible effects on vulnerable children.

Writing in the vocabulary of LGBT activists, Kurta’s responses to the Senate committee discussed “medically-necessary” transgender treatments and “sex reassignment surgery” in private facilities if not on military bases.

As the Washington adage goes, “People are policy.”  Given Kurta’s record in office and his associations with LGBT activists who helped to write transgender implementation plans, it is highly unlikely that Kurta and his panel of unknown “experts” will prepare a report that reflects President Trump’s views and stated intent.

In fact, no one should be surprised if Defense Secretary James Mattis allows Kurta’s hand-picked “panel of experts” to leak their recommendations about transgenders to the media sometime in December.  This would be a replay of a similar media-leak ploy that worked to pressure Congress for repeal of the law regarding gays in the military in the lame-duck session of 2010.

The Senate committee asked Kurta about the readiness impact of losing transgenders (under Trump’s announced policies) but not about the readiness impact of retaining and expanding the number of transgenders in the military.  This was a preview of deeply flawed logic that two federal judges have used to turn President Trump’s readiness argument on its head.

Military families and pro-defense Americans were pleased when President Trump announced his intent to restore sound policies regarding transgenders, which were in effect for many years before President Obama took office.  Mr. Kurta, however, is in position to deliver to President Trump recommendations for continuing Obama’s policies, not ending them.

Ultimately, Defense Secretary Mattis will be responsible for everything his subordinates have done or will do in letting President Trump down.

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Posted on Dec 11, 2017 Print this Article