A transgender naval commander has attacked Donald Trump’s trans military ban, saying there was “no real reason” for it to be implemented.
Aviator Emily Shilling has been in the US military for more than 19 years. She told CNN’s The Source that it had been her dream to fly for the navy since she was a child.
“I did two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, 60 combat missions,” she said. “Later, I went on to be a test pilot, then the meritorious promotions. I have been at the pinnacle of naval aviation. I am proof that we are qualified to serve.”
Trump signed the executive order as part of his plans to bar transgender men and women from the armed forces, soon after taking office on 20 January
It is currently being challenged in court by LGBTQ+ groups Lambda Legal and GLAD Law, who are representing six trans people, who believe the ban is pointless and discriminatory.
Lawyers have pointed out that researchers in Canada, the UK and Australia have found “no evidence of any effect on operational effectiveness or readiness” as a result of having out transgender members of the armed services.
In fact, the researchers “heard from commanders that the increased diversity improved readiness by giving units the tools to address a wider variety of situations and challenges”.
One of the reasons given for the proposed ban comes from the claim that transgender people are less prepared to fight because of the implications of gender-affirming care.
Shilling, however, debunked this, saying that she was one of the first naval aviators to regain flight clearance after undergoing gender-affirming surgery.
“What that means is the navy was rightfully medically conservative,” she said. “I’m going to go fly a $100 million (£80.4 million) aircraft, the F-18, like you saw in Top Gun: Maverick, so they ran me through every psychological evaluation, every physical evaluation they could think of. And at the end of the day, there was no reason to keep me out of the cockpit.”
She went on to say: “We see this with all the troops deployed across the world today, already embedded in combat units. We have lawyers, doctors, special forces, rangers, and they’re all there filling critical roles. If we yank them out, it will take decades to fill.”
Trump also banned trans people from entering the military during his first stint in the White House.
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