I am trans in the US military and I can do my job just fine, Trump
Akira Wyatt is a trans US military serviceperson. (Akira Wyatt/Instagram)
Akira Wyatt is a transgender US serviceperson who serves as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy.
It’s quite a troubling time for LGBTQ* people and American society as a whole.
I am disappointed and saddened by the Supreme Court ruling with the current administration’s stand on the transgender ban for the military.
However, as service member, I am trained to continue to do my job as a hospital corpsman for both my Marine and Navy peers to the best of my ability, regardless of the current limbo situation I am in as a transgender service member.
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We are in every combat zone where troops are currently serving and we will stay the course as we serve our country with honour and dignity.
Trump’s ban on trans people serving their country affects the future of the military by reducing the amount of service-people with the capabilities that transgender folks, like anyone else, possess. Diversity is threatened by reducing the wide-ranging array of US citizens who volunteer their talent to the US military.
“We will stay the course as we serve our country with honour and dignity.”
— Trans US Navy hospital corpsman Akira Wyatt
This trans ban greatly affects the continued fight for transgender rights across America. It undermines the long-standing freedom that each of us as Americans possess. We are better than this and have the power to change, to be on the right side of history, as an American family.
As a trans woman of colour myself, I see this as a crucial time. This ban perpetuates the untrue stereotypes about trans people in the military, as well as in the general population. Like, for example, Trump’s claim that transitioning service-people incur the military “tremendous medical costs.” In fact, according to think tank the RAND Corporation (via BBC), which works with the US Armed Forces, costs healthcare related to transitioning are between $2.4 million and $8.4 million annually. In 2017, the Palm Center put the cost at $2.2 million.
In order to overturn this, we have to move in a direction of unity and understanding.
I keep my head held high and keep up the fight for equality.
