With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops Tell Their Stories

On January 25, 2021, in one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden reversed the Trump administration’s widely condemned ban on transgender people in the military. In With Honor and Integrity, Máel Embser-Herbert and Bree Fram introduce us to the brave individuals who are on the front lines of this issue, assembling a powerful, accessible and heartfelt collection of first-hand accounts from transgender military personnel in the United States.

Their eye-opening accounts show us what it is like to serve in the military as a transgender person. From a religious affairs specialist in the Army National Guard, to a petty officer first class in the Navy, to a veteran of the Marine Corps who became “the real me” at age 49, these accounts are personal, engaging, and refreshingly honest. They describe their experiences from before and during President Trump’s ban―what barriers they face at work, why they do or don’t choose to serve openly, and how their colleagues have treated them. Fram, a lieutenant colonel who is serving openly as a transgender woman in the U.S. Space Force and has advocated for open-service policies, shares her experience in the aftermath of Trump’s announcement of the ban on Twitter.

At a time when LGBTQ rights are under siege, and the opportunity to serve continues to be challenged, join us for an online program with Embser-Herbert and Fram as they provide an inspiring look at the past, present and future of transgender military service. 

SPEAKERS

Máel Embser-Herbert

Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Hamline University; U.S. Army Veteran; Author, Camouflage Isn’t Only for Combat: Gender, Sexuality, and Women in the Military and The U.S. Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy: A Reference Handbook; Co-editor, With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops in Their Own Words

Bree Fram

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Space Force; President, SPART*A; Co-editor, With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops in Their Own Words

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on January 19th, 2023 by the Commonwealth Club of California.

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