Military officer speaks out after Supreme Court allows revived transgender ban to be enforced
Space Force Col. Bree Fram is one of an estimated 15,000 transgender troops currently serving in the U.S. military whose jobs could now be in jeopardy.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court allowed a Trump administration policy that bars transgender people from serving in the military.
The high court's decision follows several challenges from lower courts that blocked the administration from implementing the revised ban nationwide.
"I know at my core what I stand for and I believe in the ideals of America and the oath that I swore to defend," said Col. Bree Fram, who will be the Grand Marshal of the Annapolis Pride Parade on May 31.
Military veteran
After 18 years in the U.S. Air Force, plus four years and counting in the Space Force, Col. Fram has dedicated her life to serving her country.
But the decision by the Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration's efforts to ban transgender people in the military brings into question whether her country can support her in return.
"When that ruling came out, I and thousands of other transgender service members were doing the jobs and the missions that the military had assigned to us," said Col. Fram.
"We have a lot of work to do"
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that targeted active and prospective service members with gender dysphoria, quoting the military's "high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity and integrity."
He went on to say, "Medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria" are not consistent with those standards.
"It really shows we have a lot of work to do to make sure that all members of the LGBTQ+ community are seen as actual humans. Because at its core, what this administration is trying to do is separate individual pieces of our community and really strip away people's humanity, and we're seeing that through this decision made today," said Joe Troolan, the chair of Annapolis Pride.
Example-setter at Annapolis Pride Parade
Toolan said he chose Col. Fram to be a Grand Marshal in the Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival to show a perfect example of a top-ranking officer in the US Military who lives as her authentic self.
"She's just like all of us. She's trying to serve this country, she's trying to make this country a better place," Troolan said.
Col. Fram says that despite this ruling, she's going to keep fighting to make the country more inclusive.
"I've served over 22 years in uniform, and if there's one thing I can guarantee, whether it's in uniform or not, my time of service is not done," said Col. Fram.
Col. Fram says she will do her job every day to the best of her ability until she's no longer able or allowed to.
She hopes to inspire other trans people at the Pride Parade in Annapolis that trans people are just as capable of serving as anyone else in uniform.
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