Washington DC Hearings

I don’t know if you saw or read about any of the House hearing on trans servicemembers? There were a couple of moving moments during it.

C-SPAN

Watch Rep. Deb Haaland’s Tearful Plea Against the #TransMilitaryBan
The Congresswoman shares empathy and insight at a service policy hearing.
Out 
By Raquel Willis
February 28, 2019

If you want to talk about allies, Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) better be near the top of your list. On Wednesday, at a Military Personnel Subcommittee Hearing, she delivered a tearful statement of support for transgender military members testifying about the Trump administration’s service policy. 

“It’s not everybody who will make a decision to say, ‘I would die for my country,’ because a lot of people wouldn’t and I believe if there is one person who isn’t fit to serve — we all know who that is right now,” she said. “That person devalues things that our people want to do to make our country better and move it forward. And although I can't apologize for that person, I can tell you that I will do everything in my power to make sure we can bring back some civility and respect to the people who are serving our country.”

In her statement, Rep. Haaland also spoke directly to Trump’s exclusionary actions and how much she values the service of all Americans in the military as the daughter of two veterans. She discussed her own experiences with being marginalized, nodding to her historic election as one of the first two Native American women in Congress alongside openly queer Rep. Sharice Davids last November.

I find this so uplifting that she felt so emotional and supportive of our trans servicemembers, but this wasn’t the first time…

Haaland displays trans flag outside office after Supreme Court decision on transgender military ban
The Hill
By Aris Folley
January 23, 2019

Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) said a transgender flag is “proudly” on display outside of her office this week after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to temporarily enforce restrictions on transgender people who serve in the military.

“The trans flag is displayed proudly outside my office door today,” the freshman lawmaker said in a tweet on Tuesday night.

“#ProtectTransTroops,” she added.

We need every ally we can get and having not only her but also other legislators support us is wonderful.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she plans to reintroduce legislation to ensure transgender people can enlist in the military.
[…]
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran, also criticized the Supreme Court's decision on Tuesday.

She blasted the move "disheartening" in a series of tweets and urged the high court to make clear "that this sort of discrimination has no place in our military."

Thank you all!