More than 1 million people currently serve in the various branches of the U.S. military, including 12,000 in Nevada. Veterans in the country number 16 million, with 200,000 in Nevada, and none of them are exactly alike.
They really are the people they serve. All races, colors, creeds and genders.
It’s been that way for a while, bolstered by the belief that no matter where you came from or who you are, if you’re able to do the job and have the other person’s back, you should qualify.
But that’s changing. It’s already changed.
A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump, with support of his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, issued an executive order preventing the military from accepting transgender applicants. On Tuesday, a federal judge hearing a suit to temporarily halt the ban, called the rationale behind it “frankly ridiculous.”
The estimated number of current trans members of the military is relatively small, comparatively. Depending on which group you ask, it’s from a few thousand to 15,000.
But what does this all mean for the armed forces as a whole, and for transgender people — those who are in, who’ve been in and who still want to join?
Guests: Frankie Perez, U.S. Air Force Veteran, and in process of joining the Air National Guard; Leo Shane III, deputy editor, Military Times
