Question: Do other countries let transgender people serve in their military?
Answer: Yes, some do. Eighteen countries allow transgender personnel to serve openly in their militaries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, according to a 2016 report by the RAND Corp., which cited research on the subject from 2014.
RAND researchers closely examined the experiences of four countries — Australia, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom — that they said had the best-developed and publicly available policies on transgender military personnel. “In no case was there any evidence of an effect on the operational effectiveness, operational readiness, or cohesion of the force,” according to RAND’s analysis, which also found that those militaries permitted the use of sick leave for gender transition-related medical issues and covered some, if not all, medical or surgical treatments related to a service member’s gender transition.
You can download a free version of the report at 808ne.ws/randsty. The report, “Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly,” said that a tiny fraction of the 1.3 million U.S. service members in active duty are transgender; its estimates ranged from 1,320 to 6,630 individuals.
President Donald Trump on Friday signed a directive barring transgender people from joining the U.S. military but left the fate of those already serving up to the defense secretary.
Q: When do they decide who gets the Christmas displays at Honolulu Hale?
A: A lottery will be drawn Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. at the Mission Memorial Building at 550 S. King St., according to the city. Nonprofit groups have until Friday to submit an application to create a display for the Honolulu City Lights celebration, and, to be clear, displays need not be Christmas-oriented. See details at 808ne.ws/HCLform.
Q: Regarding getting a license, I am confused. What does “legal presence” mean?
A: “Legal presence” refers to the requirement that applicants for a Hawaii driver’s license must prove that they are authorized to be in the United States — that their presence is legal. For U.S. citizens, documents such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of citizenship or certificate of naturalization can verify legal presence, according to the state Department of Transportation. For noncitizens, documents such as a permanent resident card, temporary resident card, employment authorization card or foreign passport with appropriate immigration documents may be used.
Mahalo
I recently shopped at Safeway Hawaii Kai and paid cash for my item at the express checkout. Upon returning home I discovered that I was missing a $100 bill. I called Safeway and asked whether someone had found and turned in a $100 bill that I may have accidentally dropped on the floor while taking out cash from my pocket at the express checkout. I had little hope that I would get a positive response. After a short pause I was asked what my name was and what I had bought. I had used my Safeway discount card. To my surprise and delight the answer was “yes” and that I could retrieve the $100 bill at the courtesy counter. When I asked whether the person left their name, the cashier said it was a male she was familiar with but did not know his name; however, she did know that his wife’s name was Laurie and she worked at a kiosk at Kahala Mall. A big mahalo to Safeway and the gentleman who made the day for this senior. — A thankful senior
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