Latest news with #EmilyShilling
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender troops face ‘crushing' decision as Trump ban deadline looms
Transgender active-duty service members must decide whether to leave the military on their own or be forced out by Friday under the 30-day deadline announced last month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a life-altering decision that those interviewed by The Hill said is nearly impossible to make. 'It's crushing,' said Cmdr. Emily 'Hawking' Shilling, who has served in the Navy for almost two decades. 'It's heartbreaking.' A naval aviator with 60 combat missions under her belt, Shilling oversaw a staff of about 200 people before she requested voluntary separation last month and was placed on administrative leave. In her latest fitness report, Shilling's commander described her as an 'inspiring leader' with 'boundless energy' and 'unmatched enthusiasm.' 'People excel under Hawking's leadership,' they wrote, referring to Shilling by her callsign. The report and Shilling's own experiences contradict how President Trump and administration officials have sought to frame her and other transgender troops' service. Trump's Jan. 27 executive order to boot transgender people from the military states they cannot satisfy the 'rigorous standards' needed to serve, and that allowing their participation threatens military readiness and unit cohesion, an argument long used to keep marginalized groups — including Black, gay or female Americans — from serving. A 2016 RAND Corp. study commissioned by the Pentagon found that allowing trans people to serve had no negative impact on unit cohesion, operational effectiveness or readiness. Shilling, who currently serves as president of SPARTA Pride, an advocacy group for transgender service members, said she is complying with the Trump administration's policy despite believing it to be unlawful and challenging it in court. She stressed that her views do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or the Navy. Shilling's lawsuit, filed in February with six other trans service members, argues that 'banning ready, willing, and able service members does not further the objectives of the United States Armed Forces.' A federal judge in Washington state, where the suit was filed, sided with the service members in a March ruling that temporarily blocked the administration from enforcing Trump's order. But after an emergency application from the Justice Department, the Supreme Court ruled in May that the Trump administration could begin enforcing its ban on trans military service. 'My oath is to the Constitution and to obey all lawful orders,' Shilling said in an interview. 'The only way that I can challenge whether or not something is lawful is through the courts, and so I actually see this as an extension of my duty, of my oath.' 'I believe this is unlawful, and in the meantime, while I challenge it, I'm going to obey the orders,' she added. 'I'm out-processing; I'm doing all my paperwork; I'm doing everything I'm being told to do, and I'm also challenging it, saying, 'I don't think that this is lawful. Courts, please make a verdict on it.' And I will honor whatever they decide.' Cmdr. Blake Dremann, another plaintiff in Shilling's lawsuit, has also begun the voluntary separation process, though he said it hasn't felt like much of a choice. He requested his separation start at the end of December, when he will hit 20 years of service and be eligible for regular retirement. 'As far as navigating anything else, it has been really just trying to figure out, 'OK, where do I want to live? What do I want to do? How am I going to handle this?'' said Dremann, a naval supply officer. 'I thought I had another 10 years to figure out what I was going to do afterwards.' Dremann recently returned to the U.S. from Guam, where he had supervised a team of sailors and junior officers repairing submarines for forward deployment on the USS Frank Cable. The assignment, he said, was part of a milestone tour that would have set him on a path to becoming a Navy captain. Under the Trump administration's new policy, 'That's been taken away from me,' he said. A member of the Navy since the early aughts, Dremann served under the Pentagon's long-standing ban on trans service members that was lifted in 2016 under former President Obama, as well as under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' which prevented gays, lesbians and bisexuals from openly serving, Trump's 2017 trans military restrictions and now, the more stringent 2025 ban. 'This is the fourth time the military has had a policy that requires me to leave the service,' he said. 'This will probably be the one that gets me.' Dremann said he would be open to returning to the Navy once he separates if the Trump administration's policy were reversed in the near future. 'I even took my physical readiness test for the year,' he said. Others hesitated to say whether they would return. 'Unless there were specific policies put in place to prevent, like, what's going on now from happening in the future, having that being a case where let's say, everyone's offered a way back through the next administration, four to eight years later, you can run into this entire situation again,' said Abi, a member of the Air Force based in Alaska who asked that her last name be withheld over privacy and safety concerns. Her wife, Elizabeth, said she would be similarly uneasy with Abi someday returning to the military. The Trump administration's policy, she said, had betrayed their trust. Trump's 2017 policy barring transgender troops from serving made an exception for some who had already started to transition. The latest policy makes no such exception, deeming any service member with a current diagnosis, history or symptoms of gender dysphoria unfit for military service. 'To turn around and say, 'I know we said that you could do that, but now that you have, we are choosing to punish you for it.' It's like, what else could they do that with?' Elizabeth asked. With just under five years of service, Abi said there is no real incentive to opt for voluntary separation. A Pentagon memo issued in February said some trans service members could receive separation pay at double the rate of those who were involuntarily removed, but eligibility requires at least five years of continuous active-duty service. For now, Abi and Elizabeth are biding their time. They are looking to relocate, possibly to California, where Elizabeth has family, but cannot make concrete plans — including finding work — until they know when Abi will be discharged. 'It's very scary to be in such an unknown position,' Abi said. Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Nicolas Talbott said he similarly has no plans to voluntarily separate, a decision that, as a reservist, he must make by July 6. 'Most of the incentives for voluntary separation are geared toward folks who have more time and service than I do,' he said. 'So, for me personally, I'm watching to see if any new guidance or any new policies come out. But really, we're just kind of preparing to see what the involuntary separation process is going to look like.' 'I hate the verbiage being used as voluntary versus involuntary,' he added, 'because this isn't really voluntary for any of us. This is not what we wanted.' Talbott said he's hopeful the policy will again be blocked in court. Like Shilling, he is the lead plaintiff in a challenge to Trump's executive order. A district judge sided with Talbott and more than a dozen other plaintiffs in March, blocking the administration from implementing Trump's order, describing it as 'soaked in animus.' An appeals court temporarily halted the order as it weighs whether to grant a longer pause. 'I'm kind of trying to do my best to hold down the fort for everyone,' Talbott said. 'That's what I try to stay focused on. I have a job in the military, I have my civilian job as well, and things need to get done. You know, the world does not revolve around this case; the world does not revolve around me by any shape of the imagination, and I have jobs to do, and I have responsibilities, and that's what I try to stay focused on.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender Troops Deserve the Right to Serve
Commander Emily Shilling served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a combat aviator with over 60 missions. Fighter pilots are very hard for the military to find, nonetheless. Shilling will be removed from service by Donald Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. So will many others, like former Navy SEAL Kristin Beck, who served 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, including with SEAL Team Six. She earned the Bronze Star with Combat 'V,' the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Purple Heart. Shilling and Beck are heroes the military will never get back, and the absence of service members like them will make America less ready, endanger troops, and hurt recruiting efforts. Yet, these folks aren't good enough to serve for Trump, who just banned transgender service members for the second time. His first effort was reversed by Joe Biden; this time, the Supreme Court allowed the ban to take effect as the matter winds its way through the courts. A Trump ally, Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) has introduced legislation to codify Trump's executive order and ensure no Democratic president can undo the damage he has caused. Hegseth's service could never compare to that of Shilling or Beck, even though Hegseth likes to pretend to be a Navy SEAL as he sycophantically follows them around the country during special events. Trump never served a day in his life. That is why it is odd to me and to many others that they are so adamant about preventing transgender troops — and likely, before his term ends, gay Americans — from serving in the armed forces. Trump's disdain and disrespect for veterans will go down in history as reprehensible, as will Moore's, who voted against the bipartisan PACT Act, which expanded health care and benefits to millions of veterans, and numerous other bipartisan veterans' legislation. Transgender Americans have served with honor — from the decks of aircraft carriers to combat zones around the globe. They fly missions, lead teams, and complete the same rigorous training as everyone else in the military. Now, Trump and Hegseth are reportedly planning to direct military commanders to identify troops who are transgender or have gender dysphoria, so they can undergo medical checks and then be purged. This policy is an ethical failure and will be a logistical one, too. Removing thousands of trained service members during a recruiting crisis makes us weaker, not stronger. Forcing out skilled troops, pilots, linguists, mechanics, medics, because they sought medically necessary care or live authentically doesn't protect national security. It undermines it. That is not about readiness. That is about hate. If Trump cared about military readiness, he would invest in veterans' programs and bolster rewards for service — not dismantle the Department of Veterans Affairs, as Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency have done. Many trans service members will now have to closet themselves in fear. They will be forced to self identify promptly. If they haven't figured that out yet, then the rest of their service will be a minefield. Any military leader will tell you that fear is no way to lead, and it reduces readiness and hurts the fighting force. If only Trump, Musk, or Hegseth actually had the military knowledge, or cared about command leadership. If you're wondering what the long-term strategy is, it's simple: drive transgender Americans out of public life, one agency at a time — and purge military leaders so they can't stop it. It starts at the military, it always does with authoritarians. Then health care, education, civil service. The goal is to make trans people invisible. But it will not stop there. Anyone who is different will be erased from the military, just as Hegseth and Trump are erasing the contributions of women, minorities, people of color, and gay Americans from official military history — an area where the Supreme Court and federal law cannot easily intervene. Trump's policies are dangerous, and anyone who supports his whitewashing of our military is complicit. These changes will shrink the number of qualified service members and turn the U.S. military into a place built by and for white men alone, weakening our forces, undermining readiness, and leaving us at a disadvantage. That is exactly the kind of military despots, dictators, and religious extremists would love to see. We cannot wait for the next election to fix this. We need voices inside and outside the military to speak up now and say: enough. We will not purge our military. We will not gender-wash, trans-wash, gay-wash, or whitewash our ranks. We will fight back — with truth, with honor, and with the conviction that our strength comes from our diversity, not in spite of it. More from Rolling Stone Musicians Union Slams Trump's Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen Tantrum Grok Pivots From 'White Genocide' to Being 'Skeptical' About the Holocaust Supreme Court Blocks Trump's Alien Enemies Act Deportations Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Second lawsuit filed challenging Trump's transgender troops ban
A second group of transgender service members sued President Trump on Thursday over his executive order barring transgender people from serving openly in the military. Trump signed the order last week, fulfilling a campaign promise as part of a broader crackdown on what his administration has called 'gender insanity' in the federal government. 'Banning ready, willing, and able service members does not further the objectives of the United States Armed Forces,' the lawsuit reads. 'The military needs more recruits to maintain readiness and fill its ranks. But the 2025 Military Ban turns them away and forces current decorated service members to hide their identity, quit, or be separated from the military,' it continues. LGBTQ rights organizations Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign brought the lawsuit on behalf of seven openly transgender service members, another transgender person who wishes to enlist and advocacy group Gender Justice League. Filed in Seattle's federal district court, the lawsuit claims Trump's ban violates the Constitution's free speech, equal protection and due process protections. 'The assertion that transgender service members like myself are inherently untrustworthy or lack honor is an insult to all who have dedicated their lives to defending this country,' Cmdr. Emily Shilling, the lead plaintiff, said in a statement. 'My nearly two decades of service as a naval aviator and test pilot, routinely selected for the most challenging leadership roles, with 60 combat missions and over 1,700 flight hours in high-performance jets, speaks for itself.' The Hill has reached out to the Defense Department for comment. The case adds to an existing lawsuit challenging Trump's ban filed on behalf of a group of service members by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. Together, the two cases resume a legal battle that played out during Trump's first term, when he also signed a ban on transgender troops openly serving in the military. Courts unanimously blocked it before the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect in 2019 while lower courts heard additional arguments. Former President Biden reversed the policy in a 2021 executive order. In his second term, Trump has issued a flurry of gender-related orders. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order banning transgender girls from competing in women's of the actions have come under legal scrutiny. A judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Trump's mandate that transgender women in federal prison be transferred to men's facilities. Groups are also challenging Trump's order meant to broadly restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender children and teenagers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
06-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Second lawsuit filed challenging Trump's transgender troops ban
A second group of transgender service members sued President Trump Thursday over his executive order barring transgender people from serving openly in the military. Trump signed the order last week, fulfilling a campaign promise as part of a broader crackdown on what his administration has called 'gender insanity' in the federal government. 'Banning ready, willing, and able service members does not further the objectives of the United States Armed Forces,' the lawsuit reads. 'The military needs more recruits to maintain readiness and fill its ranks. But the 2025 Military Ban turns them away and forces current decorated service members to hide their identity, quit, or be separated from the military,' it continues. LGBTQ rights organizations Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign brought the lawsuit on behalf of seven openly transgender service members, another transgender person who wishes to enlist and advocacy group Gender Justice League. Filed in Seattle's federal district court, the lawsuit claims Trump's ban violates the Constitution's free speech, equal protection and due process protections. 'The assertion that transgender service members like myself are inherently untrustworthy or lack honor is an insult to all who have dedicated their lives to defending this country,' Commander Emily Shilling, the lead plaintiff, said in a statement. 'My nearly two decades of service as a naval aviator and test pilot, routinely selected for the most challenging leadership roles, with 60 combat missions and over 1,700 flight hours in high-performance jets, speaks for itself.' The Hill has reached out to the Defense Department for comment. The case adds to an existing lawsuit challenging Trump's ban filed on behalf of a group of service members by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. Together, the two cases resume a legal battle that played out during Trump's first term, when he also signed a ban on transgender troops openly serving in the military. Courts unanimously blocked it before the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect in 2019 while lower courts heard additional arguments. Former President Biden reversed the policy in a 2021 executive order. In his second term, Trump has issued a flurry of gender-related orders. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order banning transgender girls from competing in women's sports. Many of the actions have come under legal scrutiny. A judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Trump's mandate that transgender women in federal prison be transferred to men's facilities. Groups are also challenging Trump's order meant to broadly restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender children and teenagers up to 19 years old.
