Transgender service members testify before Congress about Trump’s possible ban

Five transgender U.S. service members appeared before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on military personnel Wednesday, marking the first time Congress has heard testimony about active-duty transgender service members’ experiences in the military.

The members, who represent several branches of the military, testified about their roles in the armed forces as President Trump considers banning transgender people from serving in the military.

The five service members who appeared before the House panel on Wednesday highlighted their accomplishments, testifying that their gender identity did not impact military readiness.

“Each time a mission or capability-irrelevant barrier was removed, I rose to the occasion. I succeeded as a submariner and was ranked the top supply officer out of 14 supply officers in the squad,” Navy Lieutenant Commander Blake Dremann testified.{mosads}

“They talked to me and told me things they never would have before,” Army Captain Alivia Stehlik said about other individuals in her unit after she transitioned. “Things that said they’ve never told other people. I asked them why, and the consistent answer is that they valued my authenticity — my courage in being myself. It allowed them to do the same thing.”

Army Capt. Jennifer Peace, Army Staff Sgt. Patricia King and Navy Petty Officer Third Class Akira Wyatt also appeared before the House panel.

The service members who testified have been deployed previously and are still eligible to do so, they said. They added that they believe transgender troops should be able to continue serving in the armed forces.

{mosads}“Despite living in a nation where many discriminate against you, you made a choice that fewer and fewer Americans make: you joined the military and risked your lives, and your families’ well beings for our safety. And how has the administration thanked you? By treating you like a liability, not an asset,” subcommittee chairwoman Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) said. “By maliciously jeopardizing your careers and trivializing your sacrifice,” she continued.

Nearly 15,000 transgender troops currently serve in the armed forces. 

The subcommittee’s ranking Republican member, Rep. Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), praised the service members, but also appeared to side with the administration’s new policy, which bars those who seek to transition genders.

“It is an unfortunate reality that not every person who desires to serve in the military meets the stringent medical and behavioral health standards needed to maintain a ready and resilient force,” Kelly said. “However, it only makes sense that any individual who can meet these standards and is otherwise qualified should be allowed to serve.”

James N. Stewart, the Pentagon’s top official for personnel policy, defended the policy, saying transgender service members will be allowed to continue to serve, though new recruits may be barred if they are diagnosed with “gender dysphoria.”

“The realities associated with the condition called gender dysphoria and the accommodations required for that gender transition in the military are far more complicated than we may assume,” Stewart said in a separate hearing.

“That’s a policy that belongs in the Dark Ages,” Speier responded, “not in the military of the 21st century.”