Transgender Military Experiences: From Obama to Trump

On September 20, 2011, President Barack Obama repealed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy allowing Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) people to openly serve in the U.S. military even though transgender service members were not afforded the same protections. On July 23, 2015, Obama'...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of homosexuality 2023-05, Vol.70 (6), p.993-1010
Main Authors: Dietert, Michelle, Dentice, Dianne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Armed forces
Bisexuality
Cisgender
cisgender veterans
Female
Humans
Interviews
Lesbianism
Management
military
Military Personnel
military readiness
Servicemen
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Sexual orientation
Transgender Persons
Transgender service members
Transsexualism
unit cohesion
United States
Veterans
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Summary:On September 20, 2011, President Barack Obama repealed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy allowing Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) people to openly serve in the U.S. military even though transgender service members were not afforded the same protections. On July 23, 2015, Obama's Secretary of Defense Ash Carter officially rescinded the transgender ban. For this study, survey data was collected from 26 transgender service members beginning in October 2018 and ending in December 2018. A second series of interviews was conducted with seven cisgender veterans beginning in August 2020 and ending in January 2021. The dual purpose of this study was to investigate transgender service members' experiences during the Obama administration and through the first years of the Trump administration. Secondly, interviews were conducted with cisgender veterans from roughly the same service time period. Findings provide a glimpse into the lives of transgender active duty service members post-DADT and during the Trump Administration ban. Data also reveals how a sample of cisgender veterans view policy and other issues surrounding transgender active duty service personnel. Participants from both groups agreed that unit cohesion and readiness was not negatively impacted by transgender active duty military personnel and that inclusion was a positive and unifying factor.
ISSN:0091-8369
1540-3602
DOI:10.1080/00918369.2021.2012866