Happy Veterans Day 2017 Trans Vets!

I have much love and respect for our trans vets as people who have not only served in our military, once they left the service, they took those leadership lessons they learned in the military to help build our community and advance our human rights .

So on this 2017 edition of Veterans Day, which is occurring at a time the Chump Trump Administration wants to keep trans people from serving in the biggest baddest military on our planet,  I want to say thank you to all the 15,500 trans siblings currently on active duty across the planet, and those who spent time in the various branches of the service doing their part to serve our country.



While others revile you, I am inspired by you.   I am deeply appreciative of the fact that because of you, I have the freedoms I do to not only live my unapologetically out and proud trans life, I get to call people out on a regular basis up to and including the POTUS and not be jailed for it (yet).

You know as I do that when a socially reviled group gains acceptance in military circles, the advancement of their human rights in American society swiftly follows.  It's why I stand with you in opposing Trump's military ban and the conservafools are desperately trying to enact it.

Some of you are blazing trails within our military and reaching new leadership heights within the various service branches.   Others of you are doing the educating and advocacy work inside the military about what we trans folks can do while serving our country. 

Thank you also for taking the time to be leaders in our community.  Some of you blazed trails while doing so.  You created our pride flag.  You helped organize conferences that set the parameters on how we talk about and advocate for our issues and organized lobby days.   You founded organizations that pushed the trans human rights agenda forward.  Others of you through bold actions took down unjust anti-0trans laws and policies.

And many of you trans vets continue to do so today. 
 

Happy Veterans Day!   Thank you for your service to our country and our community.  You are #TransExcellence personified

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.

Happy Veterans Day 2014

It's November 11 and once again it's time to acknowledge the veterans in our country who are also members of the trans community.

One of the interesting dynamics I've noted in our trans ranks is as Kristin Beck is a concrete example of, the number of trans folks who have served in our nation's military. 

They have served  our nation proudly, but in far too many cases they have had to hide who they are to do so.   And because of DOD regulations that can be eliminated with a pen stroke, trans people are not allowed to enlist.

The veterans I have met in our community have fought in every conflict from World War II to Afghanistan and Iraq.

And lets take a moment to remember our trans vets who never came home or lost their lives before they came to that gender epiphany.

Many of those vets took those leadership lessons they learned in the military and translated them to help build our trans rights movement like Phyllis Frye.   Monica Helms and Angela Brightfeather in 2003 founded TAVA, the Transgender American Veterans Assn..  

Even Christine Jorgensen, one of our iconic trans women, was a US Army vet.

And we have trans folks who served who are continuing that tradition by contributing their leadership skills to build our community like Angelica Ross,  Dawn Wilson, Autumn Sandeen, Fallon Fox and Rev. Yeshua Holiday

And if ten nations allow trans people to openly serve, what's wrong with the alleged biggest baddest military on the planet doing so?   As I said back on this date in 2012 and will repeat, 'If it's not acceptable for LGB military personnel to have to hide who they are to serve our nation's military, it damned sure isn't acceptable for transpeople to have to hide to serve in the military either. '

Let's hope that we will see a Veteran's Day happen in which our trans peeps can serve our country.

Happy Veterans Day 2013 Trans Vets

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.