The United States Armed Forces is comprised of diverse service members. These service members come from different areas of the countries, have different ethnic backgrounds, speak an assortment of languages, speak different dialects, and have different sexualities and represent different genders. The military recognizes gender diversity in a binary, men and women. However, not every service members identifies as such.
The Armed Forces are allowed to dismiss service members for being “unfit to serve” for psychological or medical reasons if they begin to exhibit traits of being gender nonconforming. Although being dismissed from the military is something that no service member wants, members do wish to be comfortable while they are serving their country. SW1 Royster, of the Navy Steelworkers, spoke of the differences as something that has limited her from being able to participate in dress occasions, which may also have slowed down her career.
Other gender nonconforming service members explained their desire for a more gender neutral uniform, so that they do not feel uncomfortable performing their duties and do not have to out themselves as being gender non-conforming.
There are a number of studies being done to promote unisex uniforms in the military. However, the findings of these studies have yet to be published.