Transgender Veterans Fought For Your Right To Hate Them

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.

They 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.  .   

Once Again, Thank You Trans Vets!

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice."-'The US Armed Forces Oath of Enlistment

This is  bittersweet Veteran's Day for me as a supporter of our trans vets and many of my trans friends who served or are currently serving in the military.

This is the first Veteran's Day in which trans people could openly serve in our nation's armed forces.  Unfortunately it is also coming a few days after a devastating presidential election in which a president-elect will take office with people whispering in his ears to take our ability to serve our country away as they roll back our human rights.

As my homegirl and Army vet Carla Lewis has famously said, "I defended your right to hate me."

You also defended the country against enemies foreign and domestic, and right now we have domestic enemies of our nation masquerading as patriots, but are anything but that.

Trans vets have also followed the example of Christine Jorgensen, Phyllis Frye, Monica Helms, Fallon Fox, Shane Ortega, Logan and Laila Ireland and countless others who served in all the branches of our military who took the leadership skills they learned in our nation's military and applied them into leading our community in various ways in our trans human rights struggle.

Thank you for your service trans vets that also includes in many cases you being leaders in our community.   Thank you for not only defending the Constitution and our nation, but also fighting for the policies that will benefit us and all Americans cis and transgender.