After Don't Ask Don't Tell, transgender servicemembers face uphill battle
January 27, 2011 - 02:00 PM
By Amanda Hess
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/amanda-hess/2011/01/don-t-ask-don-t-tell-repeal-leaves-transgender-servicemembers-7757.html (http://www.tbd.com/blogs/amanda-hess/2011/01/don-t-ask-don-t-tell-repeal-leaves-transgender-servicemembers-7757.html)
Last April, Autumn Sandeen traveled from San Diego to Washington, D.C., donned her Naval uniform, and handcuffed herself to the White House fence. Eight months later, the civil disobedience paid off: On Dec. 22, President Obama signed a repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" into law, allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military. At Tuesday night's State of the Union address, Obama urged the nation to celebrate the fact that "starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love."
Still forbidden from military service, though, are people like Autumn Sandeen. Sandeen isn't gay—she's transgender. And as the gays and lesbians who joined Sandeen in protest prepare for open military service, trans men and women are being warned to remain in the closet.