Transgender, at War and in Love

When I realized that the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT)” — the law that banned lesbian, gay and bisexual people from serving in the United States military — did not include transgender people I was outraged. Heartfelt work and uncountable resources had been poured into that mission, and yet the mission was incomplete. Therefore, in October 2012 I started the “TransMilitary” media project to help elevate the stories of active duty, transgender service members who were risking discharge due to the discrimination that still existed.

The ban on transgender people was in effect due to a number of outdated policies and procedures. For example, the Department of Defense’s regulations around medical readiness were based on a psychological diagnosis from the 1980s when transgender people were considered mentally ill. In the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) 5, gender dysphoria is considered a “treatable condition” not a “psychological impairment.” A “treatable condition” does not prohibit service, therefore if the military had simply updated their policies to reflect current standards, trans people would not have been considered unfit to serve.

In 2014 a Williams Institute study predicted that some 15,500 people serving the U.S. military identify as being transgender. Ironically, this number makes the military America’s largest employer of transgender people. They also found that transgender people are twice as likely to serve than their fellow cisgender (non-transgender) citizens — a thought-provoking and surprising fact to many.

After a few short videos on various online media platforms, I was approached by The New York Times to direct a short opinion documentary (“Op-Doc”) within their “Transgender Today” series. The Times partnered me with the incredibly talented Gabe Silverman and Jamie Coughlin of SideXSide Studios and together we produced, “Transgender, at War and in Love.”

This Op-Doc profiles an airman named Logan Ireland, who completes a deployment serving as male, the gender he knows himself to be. Remarkably, after telling his leaders and some peers that his sex was assigned female at birth, he receives their support—despite the military policies that prevent transgender people like him from serving openly. Meanwhile, his then fiancée, Laila Villanueva, who was assigned male at birth, has a similar scenario, but she works without the support of her command.

Their dreams of serving in the military until retirement, having a home, and creating a family are all on the line simply because of how society and the United States military discriminate against transgender people. Logan and Laila were aware at the time that by coming out publicly in this film, they could have been discharged.

Nonetheless, after several years of focused lobbying, research and media stories, June 30, 2016, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, ended the ban on transgender service members. On that day, America became the 19th country — behind our allies such as the U.K., Israel and Australia — to allow transgender people’s open service.

By serving their country, soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines risk their lives fighting for Americans' right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yet still today American transgender troops are not afforded the same freedoms, which they so boldly protect. The most recent survey from the National Center for Transgender Equality reports “disturbing patterns of mistreatment and discrimination… when it comes to the most basic elements of life, such as finding a job, having a place to live, accessing medical care, and enjoying the support of family and community.”

To that end we are continuing our advocacy work through film and we look forward to premiering the full TransMilitary story via our feature documentary early 2018.