Trans service members say they want to fight for their country, not for their jobs
President Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from enlisting and serving in the military could endanger the jobs of thousands of active-duty service members.
When Alivia Stehlik, an Army major, came out as a transgender woman in the spring of 2017, she said she was nervous about how her colleagues and other soldiers would react, especially because she’s a physical therapist.
“You have to physically touch most of your patients, and I had some nerves initially that folks would be uncomfortable,” she said. However, in the eight years since she came out, she said she’s been “overwhelmingly, pleasantly surprised at every single turn.”
“My bosses, the people that I’ve worked with, the people who’ve worked for me, my patients — nobody cares that I’m trans,” she added. “They just see me as Major Stehlik or Dr. Stehlik. That’s it.”
“Our service should not be contingent on who holds political power at the time.”
Army RESERVE Lt. Nicolas Talbott
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