The July tweetstorm from President Trump announcing a ban on transgender people in the military—
which would reverse the historic 2016 decision to allow them to serve openly—
has wreaked havoc across the armed services.
The military establishment wasn’t consulted
and the Department of Defense had no policy response.
And for thousands of trans troops,
the lives they’ve dedicated to serving their country
now hang in the balance.
— I found out about maybe 15 minutes before morning formation.
I was already at work.
— This is Katie Schmid and her wife, Lulu.
— And Wednesdays are run days, so I went running.
— If I recall, you told me you were running out of spite, purely on spite.
And then, Katie got home and…
there was shouting, and crying, and wall punching.
— I didn’t punch any walls.
— I didn’t so you did.
It was very emotional.
— Schmid enlisted in the Army in 2005 in intelligence,
and as a man.
— The whole idea of
like, swearing to support and defend the Constitution and stuff like that
really resonated with me.
And I know it’s pretty stereotypical, I guess, but…
I thought the Army would make a man out of me.
— After completing specialty training,
she was stationed in Germany,
then moved to Fort Riley, Kansas.
She was made a noncommissioned officer in 2009,
and staff sergeant in 2012.
— Once I became an NCO, I started getting these.
These are NCO ERs—
or non-commissioned officer evaluation reports.
And of course, it’s got my old name on it.
I started getting started getting comments from my raters saying things like,
“Committed to the goals and mission of the unit above personal welfare,”
“dedicated and absolutely loyal,”
“unlimited potential.”
— Are you proud?
— Absolutely.
But I’m not just proud of myself.
I’m not doing it for myself.
I’m not doing it for getting a piece of paper that says, “You done good.”
I’m doing it because…
because I love being in the Army.
This is my life, and it has been for over a decade.
— When she came home from Iraq in 2013,
Katie knew she was trans.
She was diagnosed with gender dysphoria,
which could have gotten her kicked out.
To preempt that, she wrote a memo to her superiors.
— I offered them a deal.
I said, “I promise you that I will not take any steps towards my transition”
“unless and until specifically authorized by the DOD.
The mission comes first.
And my medical care can take a backseat.
Just don’t kick me out of the army.
— Do you think if you didn’t have a record like this,
it would have been harder for you to transition in the Army?
— Absolutely.
That was the single deciding factor of not being kicked out back in 2014.
It felt like…
it had finally been proven true what the Army always said,
which was, “You’re not going to be judged for who you are,”
“only how you perform.”
— In June 2016, after a lengthy review,
the Department of Defense announced
that trans service members would be allowed to serve openly:
— Effective immediately,
transgender Americans may service openly,
and they can no longer be discharged or otherwise separated from the military
just for being transgender.
— I had been waiting not just since I’d come out, but…
it felt the same way as when I got told by my commander back in 2014
that you can stay in based on your merit.
Your gender takes a backseat.
— But Trump’s tweet has thrown all of Schmid’s accomplishments into question.
While we were in Tacoma,
she planned a meet-up with other trans service members in the area
to talk about their experiences after the tweet,
and what comes next.
— My squad leader texts me and he’s like, “You know, this was put out,”
and I was like, “Okay.”
We’re not going to freak out,
because it’s not what we do.
We’re soldiers—
we’re members of the military,
we suck it up and drive on until something happens.
— My whole military career and future somewhat flashed before my eyes,
because the military has been my life since I was a little kid.
When you have your whole…
next 13 to 23 years planned out one specific way,
and somebody brings up something that could potentially ruin that,
it’s nerve wracking and a little heartbreaking.
— There’s no policy yet.
— What if there was?
What do you think you would do?
— There are so many what-if’s with that question though, you know?
It depends on, what does that policy say?
What does it entail?
Does it entail a grandfather clause for those of us who are already here?
Even if it did include that,
we’re still going to sit here for our brothers and sisters that come behind us,
who still want to serve their country,
because they’re able-bodied and should be able to serve their country,
you know, it’s going to affect them.
The fight doesn’t stop with us.
— We all know exactly what we need to do,
and it’s not just say,
“Okay, here’s what I feel inside versus here’s what I express outwardly.”
A soldier isn’t something you do,
a soldier is someone you are.