Transgender military members celebrate ban reversal
In the documentary ‘Transmilitary’, Sgt. Logan Ireland talks about his struggles as a transgender man, to educate viewers. (Photos provided to ABC7)
WASHINGTON (WJLA) — In the documentary ‘Transmilitary’, Sgt. Logan Ireland talks about his struggles as a transgender man, to educate viewers.
“Here in Afghanistan...a war zone, I’m just another guy, whereas back home, I’m still seen as female,” he said in the documentary.
Now, a few years later, he’s celebrating President Joe Biden’s reversal of a ban implemented by former President Donald Trump.
“One of the core values that we have in the Air Force is integrity,” Ireland said.
"What I’m doing is enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform,” Biden said Monday.
RELATED: Biden reverses Trump ban on transgender people in military
The active-duty airman, now stationed in Colorado, has long been against the ban on transgender military members. He was one of many speaking out in 2017.
Although he wasn’t directly impacted by the Trump administration’s order, he had friends who were.
“I was grandfathered in from the previous Obama administration,” he said.
Under the ban, he lost a few colleagues.
“Some, unfortunately, did get out of the military. Some had to serve in silence if they wanted to continue to serve,” Ireland said.
He says the reversal Monday, will make the military stronger in more ways than one.
“It highlights that their voices and their stories are valid. For those that are aspiring to serve, it opens that door and it welcomes them,” he said.
