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Transgender troops are in limbo. A Department of Defense initiative would make it difficult for most of them to remain in the military, although multiple federal judges have blocked enforcement of the policy. Steve Walsh with WHRO in Norfolk reports this has left troops with a difficult choice.
STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: Jo Ellis understands more than most how charged the moment has become for transgender service members. A Black Hawk pilot, Ellis was falsely accused of causing the D.C. crash between an airliner and a military helicopter in January.
JO ELLIS: It was really interesting to see the hate come my way. Even though I know it exists, it wasn't a surprise. It's kind of the reality of being someone who's open about being trans. But it was just a lot to have focused towards me.
WALSH: Ellis grew up in Norfolk. She transitioned 18 months ago as a member of the Virginia National Guard. She posted about the experience a few days before the crash.
ELLIS: What's interesting is me as a target, it didn't really fit their narrative at all because I grew up in a conservative house. I voted red more than blue in my entire voting record. I've served in the military for 15 years. I'm a veteran, combat veteran.
WALSH: Ellis says her Guard unit has supported her through her transition and the negative publicity.
ELLIS: I know these people so well. My entire Army career, I've been with these people, and we've all kind of risen up through the ranks together. So it really is a family, and it's hard to feel like you're being kicked out of your family.
WALSH: The Department of Defense issued a memo in February targeting transgender service members. So far, three lawsuits challenging the policies are in the pipeline. A judge's order is blocking the policy from taking effect. Still, Ellis, like all other transgender troops, faces a choice.
ELLIS: I have no intentions of surrendering and leaving. I want to stay and be in as long as they'll let me. I'm in a very fortunate position where I'm not active duty. I'm not tied to my Guard employment for my livelihood, so I can actually wait it out.
WALSH: Alleria Stanley is a 20-year Army veteran who is now with the Transgender American Veterans Association. She came out publicly as transgender during the Obama administration in 2016, when it became legal to serve openly. She held on through Trump 1 when recruiting was stopped, but troops already serving could stay at least through their enlistment. Under Biden, she became one of the first openly transgender troops to retire with full benefits. The Pentagon has been offering incentives to trans people to leave voluntarily. Stanley says she understands the mindset of some who have already taken the separation package and left, even with the court challenges still underway.
ALLERIA STANLEY: Combat service doesn't matter. I do my job. Look at all these decorations and awards and promotions. Doesn't matter. It's incredibly disheartening to be told that, no matter how good you work, none of it matters, you have to get out. We don't want you here.
WALSH: A Rand study found transgender troops serving openly had little impact on the readiness of a unit or a person's ability to serve. Not everyone who is transgender experiences gender dysphoria, but Stanley worries that fears of being diagnosed with the condition will make troops even more reluctant to seek mental healthcare.
STANLEY: If you say something, it gets entered into your record, and so you might risk losing it all. It's not just your career, but if you have dependents, you lose their healthcare. You lose your educational benefits. You lose housing - everything.
WALSH: On social media, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has declared that the Pentagon will continue to fight to implement the policy, one that advocates believe would drive most transgender troops out of the military.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Walsh.
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