WITH HONOR AND INTEGRITY

A collection of essays written by transgender military personnel that shed light on the unvoiced experiences of trans people in the American armed services.

Embser-Herbert is a sociology professor and Army veteran, and Fram is a lieutenant colonel in the Space Force and president of the transgender military advocacy group SPART*A. In 2016, the Obama administration officially allowed trans men and women to serve as members of the military. This landmark legislation—overturned by the Trump administration a year later—was intended to address issues of trans inclusion that had been left out of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal act. Embser-Herbert takes their earlier research on how the lives of transgender military personnel “illuminate…understanding of gender” and transforms it into a study that showcases a series of firsthand accounts by trans soldiers. While the DADT repeal allowed gays, lesbians, and bisexuals the freedom “to serve openly and authentically,” it did not help trans people, whom the Department of Defense still continued to discharge. Embser-Herbert follows this analysis with testimonials from trans veterans who left the military before the Obama administration’s 2016 announcement. Some, like Sheri A. Swokowski, faced discrimination and job loss once they came out of the closet and even after they left the military. Others, like Evan Young, felt compelled to leave the armed services to lead more authentic lives. The voices in other chapters belong to current trans armed forces personnel. Many, like co-editor Fram, discuss their race to transition before the 2019 Trump ban officially disallowed physical transition for service members identifying as trans. All speak of finding support among their colleagues; one, Sterling Crutcher, even praises the military for offering the succor his own family did not. This candid, illuminating collection will appeal to military historians with an interest in gender or to gender scholars seeking to address issues pertaining to trans marginalization.

Enlightening reading.