WACO, Texas (KXXV) — President Trump is expected to sign an executive order banning transgenders in the military.
25 News’ Lauren Adams talked to a transgender veteran who says they should be allowed to serve. Lisa Gilmore served 20 years in the army as a man.
Then, after retiring and receiving the Purple Heart, she transitioned to being a female, and she disagrees with President Trump’s ban on transgenders in the military.
Lisa Gilmore said, “It’s a real shame because everyone brings something to the mix.”
Gilmore has a transgender friend who is currently in the military.
“They’re getting close to 20 and would lose retirement, so that’s the big fear," she said.
A White House document previewing the transgender ban said, “It can take a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after transition surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics. During this period, they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements and require ongoing medical care. This is not conducive for deployment or other readiness requirements.”
Gilmore disagrees, “The use of heavy narcotics that’s a lie.”
There are no accounts of how many transgender service members are on active or reserve duty, but estimates from 2014 show there are as many as 15,500.
As for Gilmore, she feels transgenders should be allowed to serve.
“If you can go through basic and deal with the average day grind of the military, then you should be able to serve," Gilmore said.
Questions remain on when or if transgender military members would be forced to leave.
