Friday, November 10, 2017

Transgender Veterans Fought For Your Right To Hate Them

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One of the things that I discovered when I transitioned and became a member of several trans support and social groups was the large number of veterans in them.

Trans people have always served our country.  In fact trans people are twice as likely to serve our country at a higher rate than our cisgender counterparts.  Christine Jorgensen was a US Army vet, and many of our trailblazing leaders like Phyllis Frye, Monica Helms, Amanda Simpson, Brynn Tannehill, and Logan and Laila Ireland, all have in common in addition to being trans having served or are currently serving in the US Armed Forces.

Image result for trans people serving in US militaryThey have served in peacetime and fought in our country's wars from World War II, to Vietnam, to the Cold War and Afghanistan.   They have served with distinction in many cases. 

With 15,500 active duty transpeople in it, the US military is also the largest employer of trans people in the country.

With Veterans Day happening tomorrow, just needed to point those important facts out.  .

After fighting for years to get that hard won ability to openly serve our country, the Trump misadministration at the behest of of its faith based haters wants to take that ability to serve our country it away from us. 

Nope, not without a fight will we let that happen.  Neither are those of us in Trans World who love and respect these vets for their service.   They took the leadership lessons they learned in the military and are now applying them to help our community advance their human rights.

So while you transphobes hate the right to hate on trans veterans, we have the same right to support their efforts to ensure that those 15,500 trans people stay part of the biggest baddest military on the planet and our trans kids have the option of choosing military service when they are of age to do so.  .   

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