Transgender troops speak up as they're forced out

0:00It is true that President Trump has now twice banned transgender people from enlisting or serving in the US military. but during the first Trump administration, there was an exception. I did what the service asked me to do. It seemed kind of silly to me, but this was what the checklist was. Logan Ireland became a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, and for a while he benefited from something of a grandfather clause. When the Department of Defense announced its restrictions on trans service members in March of 2019, it allowed troops to continue to serve if, by the time the policy went into effect a month later in April, they had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a military doctor.

0:39So Ireland rushed to make an appointment and obtain that diagnosis of gender dysphoria, even though... I've never felt necessarily dysphoric about who I am. You know, I'm Logan. I happen to be, you know, born female, but I transitioned to male. And I'm just here living my life and doing my job. The diagnosis went on file. Ireland went back to his job. President Biden's administration then reversed the ban on transgender troops. You know, we're service members first. We all raise our right hand. We wear the same uniform. We deploy over the world. You know, we not only meet but exceed the standards.

1:13The only difference is we just happen to be transgender. Then, on the first day of his second term, President Trump again took aim at trans service members with an executive order titled Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness. About a month later, people with gender dysphoria were disqualified from military service under a new Defense Department policy. At the time, the DOD said there were over 4 ,200 people in the military with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. It doesn't seem real. It's been a feeling of being kicked down, being betrayed. People like Ireland, who once sought an official diagnosis in order to keep their jobs, are now set to lose those jobs because of it.

1:53Consider this. The Pentagon is now actively removing nearly all remaining openly transgender troops. In their parting messages, they and their allies say it is only hurting, not helping, military readiness.

2:10From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

2:20It's Consider This from NPR. Tensions with Iran remain high. The heavy presence of U.S. forces in the Caribbean continues. news and relations have frayed with key military allies. But under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's anti-DEI push, the Pentagon is still aggressively pursuing separations with transgender service members. One of our producers, NPR's Lauren Hodges, has been in contact with several of the people affected. Here's her report. The room applauds as 71-year-old retired four-star General Stanley McChrystal approaches the podium. I can't believe he's here, someone whispers. Almost as if he heard them, McChrystal says this into the microphone.

3:01First off, we shouldn't be here. Here is a retirement ceremony for five transgender service members who have been forcibly separated from the military under the Trump administration's second ban. The event has been organized by the advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign, in lieu of a proper Pentagon ceremony. When these professionals finally decide to retire, it should happen on parade fields, in offices, on the deck of ships, wherever the Space Force goes. I don't know. The playful dig at the military's newest branch gets a laugh from the room full of service members. McChrystal became a household name in the early to mid-2000s, during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

3:38But today, he's here in a suit and tie to preside over this ceremony. We gather today to recognize Commander Blake Drinman, United States Navy, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Grazek, United States Air Force, Chief Petty Officer Jada McGuire, United States Coast Guard, Sergeant First Class Catherine Schmid, United States Army, Colonel Bree Fram, United States Air Force. Before the ban, Colonel Bree Fram was the highest-ranking transgender member of the U.S. Armed Forces. An astronautical engineer, she deployed to Iraq and Qatar during the Iraq War, and later served as an officer in the U.S. Space Force.

4:17Fram steps up to the podium. Freedom is not self-sustaining. It is not inevitable. It requires people again and again who are willing to stand up and say, if not me, then who? And then she asks people to do just that. If you are a trans service member or veteran, I'm going to ask you to do something that may feel uncomfortable. I'm going to ask you to stand for a moment. One of those standing is U.S. Army Major Kara Corcoran. Her 17 years of service includes significant combat and leadership experience. Platoon leader in the Rakassans, 3rd Brigade 101st Airborne Air Assault Division, Combat Outpost Spera, Company Commander for three years in the 2nd Airborne Division, where I was the Jumpmaster.

5:05She is still going through her separation from the service. As NPR previously reported, the first Trump administration gave a short window of hope to any transgender person already serving who wanted to keep their job. Get an official medical diagnosis for gender dysphoria within a few months. So I quickly rushed into the Troop Medical Clinic. They gave me a gender dysphoria diagnosis. After Trump was re-elected to his second term, new guidance was put out that listed gender dysphoria as a disqualifying standard for service. Having obtained the diagnosis as instructed, Corcoran was identified for removal, along with thousands of others.

5:45The Trump administration has argued that this is necessary for mission readiness, cost issues, and unit cohesion. Corcoran pushes back. It's systematic oppression. It should be the same standard of care in the same process as anybody would have with a shoulder surgery or a knee surgery. Which, by the way, for all the surgeries we get, the recovery period is less and we're back in the fight. It feels like they just want an excuse to kick out all the transgender service members. Period. W is a transgender woman who serves in the Navy. She has asked to only go by an initial because she's, quote, stealth, meaning she's not out as trans.

6:26She presents as a man and hasn't undergone any gender affirmation surgery. She knows she'll lose her job if it's made public. W says only about four of her colleagues know. And those people are helping by asking questions on her behalf so no one suspects anything. I will say there is a lot of quiet support for transgender sailors, at least at my command. Like, people are trying their best to follow the exact wording of these orders without completely outing their trans sailors. That experience is shared by a fellow sailor, A, who is also stealth and using only an initial for the same reasons as W.

7:04But A, a trans man, is stealth in a different way. It's two very different experiences. You've got people like me who transitioned prior to the military, so there was no change in documents when I joined. When A started boot camp, he pulled a sergeant aside to let her know. And she arranged for separate showers for, quote, religious reasons. And when an opportunity came up for flight school, it was obvious that A's gender identity would be revealed during the drug testing process. So he and his command decided he would opt out of the training to avoid that situation. But on paper, due to his ADHD diagnosis, he's incredibly grateful for the protection.

7:47But also points out that it's stopping him from being more useful to the Navy. If we really are preparing for combat or deployment, why can't we just focus on doing our jobs and doing them to the best of our ability? A points to moments like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requiring all troops to watch or read his September speech at Quantico, Virginia. This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department. To rip out the politics. No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses.

8:27Hundreds of generals and admirals were ordered from commands all around the world to fly in and attend the speech in person. My chain of command was pretty outspoken. I'm like, why are we wasting our time with this? Others point to a waste of not just time, but also money. For instance, on the separation board hearings. When I go to these board members who are the jury, I said, we have spent$22 ,000 to assemble us all here to discuss somebody's genitals. These boards are extremely expensive. Priya Rashid is a military attorney working with several transgender service members, including in this story, but says she cannot speak directly about their cases.

9:08She's had a front row seat to the Pentagon's push to remove this service population since Trump's second term began. In the latest directives, military separation boards have been ordered to find unfit and separate any transgender service member with a current or past documentation of gender dysphoria. The outcome is generally predetermined, and the government has really set itself up to purge these people out of our ranks. The Pentagon responded to NPR's request for comment by referring to the gender dysphoria policy guidance on its website. Commander Blake Dremen, United States Navy, departing.

9:45Back at the ceremony, the retirees are being handed their folded flags and doing their final walkouts. Colonel Bree Fran, United States Space Force, departing. General McChrystal says the separations are a mistake and that they're affecting mission readiness, one of the listed values that Secretary Hegseth claims as a priority for his Department of War amidst several simmering global conflicts. God forbid if we're in a major war and we need to start calling everybody up, I would hope that we would not suddenly say we are only going to draft people of a certain type because we wouldn't have enough.

10:22Lauren Hodges, NPR News, Washington. This episode was produced by Lauren Hodges and Mia Venkat with audio engineering by Nisha Hines. It was edited by Andrew Sussman and Patrick Jaron Wadanana. Our executive producer is Sammy Ennigan.

10:42It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.