On May 6, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 to allow President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military service to go into effect. Legal challenges are still working their way through the courts, and the Court may revisit the case, but for now, the ruling stands. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to begin discharging transgender service members, giving them until June 6 to voluntarily separate before being removed.xc
This policy targets about a thousand people, American citizens who volunteered to serve, who are already wearing the uniform, and who’ve already made sacrifices for this country. There is no empirical evidence that their service harms readiness or morale, and no suggestion that they are incapable of doing their jobs. Yet they are being forced out.
When I heard the news, I couldn’t help but think of the famous lines by Pastor Martin Niemöller:
First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Niemöller had once supported the Nazis. These lines were a confession. He realized too late that silence in the face of injustice is itself a form of complicity. History does not repeat, exactly, but it does echo and reverberate; the volume escalating when we look away.
Memorial Day
This Memorial Day, as we honor those who gave what Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion,” and claim to “Support the Troops,” I have to ask, why trans troops don’t count and what it means for he rest of us when arbitrary purges are given the cover of legality.
Historical Exclusions
This isn’t the first time our country has told people they don’t belong in uniform. But every time we’ve done that, it’s been wrong—not just morally, but practically.
Black Soldiers and the Fight to Save the Union
During the Civil War, the decision to arm Black men helped turn the tide of the war. Frederick Douglass said it best:
“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter U.S., let him get an eagle on his button… there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.”
And earn it they did. They fought bravely, passionately, and effectively. And yet, they were paid less than white soldiers. Some refused to accept pay altogether rather than submit to that indignity. After the war, African Americans remained second-class members of the military, and something less than second-class citizens in the country they helped preserve.
Things only began to change with President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 in 1948, which mandated the desegregation of the armed forces. Even then, integration was slow, uneven, and met with resistance, but at least the legal barrier had been broken.
Indispensable Women
World War II would have been far more difficult to fight, let alone win, without women. Nearly 350,000 served in uniform. They repaired aircraft, drove trucks, ran communications, broke codes, trained male pilots, and more.
This wasn’t symbolic. It was substantial. But women were still denied combat roles, and for decades, their service was minimized or ignored. It wasn’t until 2013 that the combat exclusion policy was lifted, finally opening the door to full participation.
The Cold War’s Queer Purge
Most of the military’s discrimination against LGBTQ Americans historically focused on homosexuals. In the 1950s, the U.S. government led full-scale witch hunts against gay men and lesbians in the military and civil service. People were fired, dishonorably discharged, surveilled, and humiliated. Some were driven to suicide.
These purges didn’t protect American strength. They undermined it. Talent was wasted. Fear was institutionalized.
In the 1990s, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” compromise didn’t fix the injustice. It codified it. LGBTQ service members had to live a double life, under constant threat of exposure. It wasn’t until 2011 that DADT was repealed, and only in the last decade or so that open service became possible.
Now, this hard-won progress is under attack again.
The Lie of “Readiness”
The justification for this new ban is the same tired excuse: “military readiness.” But numerous studies have shown no evidence that transgender inclusion harms unit cohesion or effectiveness. The medical costs associated with transgender troops are negligible.
This isn’t about readiness. It’s the politics of prejudice.
The Hypocrisy of the Commander-in-Chief
And let’s be honest about who’s behind this.
President Donald Trump, who repeatedly dodged the draft and claimed to have “bone spurs,” though he couldn’t later recall which foot they were in. This is a man who has shown nothing but contempt for those who serve. He mocked Senator John McCain, and all POWs, for being captured and later asked of fallen soldiers, “What was in it for them?”
This is a man who serves no calling greater than himself. Who disrespects the concept of sacrifice and voluntarily doing anything for others. This is a man who caters to those who assume the worst about transgender people, because it wins votes and excites his base.
And this is what we’ve come to: punishing those who serve, while rewarding those who never would. Elevating bigotry over bravery. Cowardice over commitment. Showmanship over duty and honor.
If We Know Our History, We Know What to Do
Every time we’ve excluded people from military service—because of their race, gender, or identity—we’ve been wrong. We’ve hurt the military. We’ve betrayed our ideals. And eventually, we’ve had to correct ourselves.
We don’t need to wait this time. We already know better.
Let’s speak out now. Before they come for someone else.
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