Today is Veterans Day in the US, and once again I get to express my love, gratitude and appreciation to the over 140,000 trans vets according to a Williams Institute survey who served our nation, are still serving in silence, or who paid the ultimate price in our nations' armed forces. As I constantly remind people and will not allow the LGB community to forget until that is rectified, the 2011 repeal of DADT did nothing for trans people.
Unlike transpeople in nine nations, transpeople in the United States who wish to do so are banned from sering in our armed forces.
As many of you know I support open military service for trans people, and support the efforts of the new organization SPART*A that formed July 22 to make that a reality.
Trans veterans not only served our nation, they have and continue to provide principled and solid leadership for not only their fellow veterans, but our trans community and all the communities they intersect and interact with. And yes, many of the trans community's leaders and icons such as the late Christine Jorgensen have the common thread of having served in our nation's armed forces.
Trans veterans have not only helped to fight for expanded human rights laws for all Americans, but policies that help make the lives of people in the trans community and veterans like themselves better.
Happy Veterans Day trans vets! Thank you for your service to our nation and to our community.
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