One of the nations highest-ranked transgender military officers spoke out recently about the grief she has experienced since the implementation of the current administrations anti-trans military ban.Im still grieving over the loss of what I believed my future was,Space Force Col. Bree Fram lamented during her keynote speech at the induction ceremony for The San Diego LGBT Community Centers LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor, as reported by Uptown News. Related Federal court says students can misgender trans classmates as much as they like I invested almost 23 years in the service. And I absolutely believed in what the military stood for, believed in my oath to the Constitution, and I worked on amazing things with incredible people. I loved what I did.Fram, who served in the Air Force before the Space Force, is currently on leave as a result of the current administrations purge of transgender troops. She spoke at the event in her personal capacity and was not allowed to give her speech in uniform. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today After initially introducing a trans military ban during his first presidential term which the Biden administration then overturned the president signed an executive order in January called Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness, which banned trans people from serving in the military. In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethissued a memoenforcing the ban and halting gender-affirming care for service members and their families. While the order was contested in the courts, inMay the Supreme Court ruled that it could go into effect, and trans troops were given a deadline in June to self-identify for voluntary separation. Seeing that institutional step backwards is incredibly disheartening, Fram said. This is a reversal that really is almost unprecedented in terms of re-institutionalizing discrimination.She emphasized the critical role trans people have always played in serving the country. We have been part of the military since the Revolution, Fram said. Its really that competence first that earns peoples trust in the military. And the trans folks showed that, everywhere, every rank, every service, all around the world. And that mattered.She also ridiculed the administration for messing with the livelihood of trans people, who face significantly higher unemployment rates compared to the general population. Data shows that the military is actually the largest employer of trans Americans, with trans people estimated to be two to five times as likely as cisgender people to serve. Anytime you take away economic opportunity and a pathway for people, thats problematic for any community, Fram said. Fram has long spoken proudly about her history-making service as a transgender military member and her refusal to let right-wing online attacks get her down. She has discussed trans and military issues on national and international media; served in leadership roles at SPARTA, a non-profit advocacy group for trans military service members, from 2015 to 2023; editedWith Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops in Their Own Words; and co-wrote Forging Queer Leaders: How the LGBTQIA+ Community Creates Impact from Adversity.Fram emphasized during her keynote speech that she hasnt stopped serving her country just because she cant do it in uniform. That is our power as Americans, she said. That oath has no expiration date and we get to continue defending democracy in different ways.In the wake of the administrations ban, those who refused to voluntarily separate face the threat of a dishonorable discharge at a later date, as well as a requirement to repay any bonuses received during their military career. Whilean estimated 1,000 military memberstook the voluntary deal,its estimatedthat the majority of trans service members which could number between 4,000 and14,700 did not. The Pentagon is now conducting a witch hunt to find trans people in the ranks. If a service member is accused of being trans, then a board will hear evidence and be tasked with deciding whether that person meets the militarys definition of trans, defined by thePentagon memoas the following: All boards will only make findings about whether a respondent has a diagnosis, history of, or exhibits symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria and, if so, that the respondent should be separated in accordance with reference.Whiletrans service members can apply for a waiver to remain in service,that is only possible if they can provethat they have 36 consecutive months of stability in their sex assigned at birth without distress or impairment, have never tried to transition, and are willing to serve under their sex assigned at birth (which some would argue is simply defined as not being trans).The rules are especially cruel in the requirement that service members appear at the board hearings in a uniform that matches their gender as assigned at birth. The Pentagons newpolicy is very similar to one that the Air Force rolled out back in August, which made it the first branch of the armed forces to provide full guidance on removing trans military personnel.This isnt a policy its a shadow process,SPARTA Pride said in a statement at the time, It creates a military that is no longer built on standards and values identity over merit and paperwork over judgement, eliminating transparency along the way.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.