Approximately 15,500 transgender people serve in the U.S. military, notably the largest employer of transgender people in the U.S., but must conceal their gender identity due to military policies that ban their service. “TransMilitary” chronicles the lives of four troops who are defending their country’s freedom while fighting for their own: Senior Airman Logan Ireland, Corporal Laila Villanueva, Captain Jennifer Peace, and First Lieutenant El Cook. They put their careers and their families’ livelihoods on the line by coming out as transgender to top officials in the Pentagon in hopes of attaining the right to serve openly. The transgender community was able to breathe a sigh of relief in 2016 when the ban was lifted, giving them the chance to serve openly. After taking office in 2017, President Trump said that he would reinstate the ban against transgender troops and in January of 2019 he succeeded when the Supreme Court of the United States passed a law that barred trans individuals from serving in the armed forces.
