Bree Fram, High-Ranking Trans Military Officer in the U.S.: “Trump’s Ban Is a Purge”

Washington, (EFE).- Bree Fram decided to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces after the September 11 attacks to “defend the freedoms and opportunities she had been given.” However, this Tuesday, the colonel loses one of those freedoms and stops serving her country because President Donald Trump has kicked all transgender people out of the military ranks.

A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court allowed the president to implement his exclusion policy. This policy includes that identifying with a gender different from the sex assigned at birth “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in their personal life.”

“I was hoping the Supreme Court would rule differently. (…) We are losing something irreplaceable: thousands of highly qualified people with years, if not decades, of experience,” Fram said in an interview with EFE, emphasizing that she speaks “in a personal capacity” and “does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Department of Defense or the government.”

The Supreme Court’s decision ended a federal judge’s injunction against the presidential decree and gave the administration permission to start carrying out dismissals while the case is still being studied in lower courts.

During his first term (2017-2021), Trump, also with Supreme Court backing, banned transgender people from joining the military or beginning their transition if already serving.

“What changes now is that this time (the ban) is not just a prohibition, it’s a purge. A purge that seeks to expel thousands of transgender members who are serving with honor and distinction,” said Fram, 45 years old.

At that time, the colonel was not affected because she had already completed her transition. In 2016, when the Barack Obama administration (2009-2017) allowed transgender people to serve openly, she dared to step forward and leave behind 13 years of service in which she had been “hiding a large part” of herself.

“When Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter made the announcement, I had an email ready to send to my coworkers and a Facebook post to share it with the world,” she says.

“It was one of the most incredible moments of my life,” she recalls with a smile. After sending the message, she “ran to the gym treadmill and ran faster than ever,” but when she returned to her desk, all her colleagues told her, ‘It’s an honor to serve with you.’”

Fram, one of the highest-ranking transgender officers in the U.S. military, has served her country for 22 and a half years, first in the Air Force and now in the Space Force.

She feels “devastated” because although Trump’s order says it aims to “prioritize excellence and military readiness” (at least that’s what he called it), according to her, the people he is about to dismiss “not only met the standards but exceeded them exceptionally.”

“The loss to national security will have effects for years,” she asserts.

Starting this week, all transgender officers will be placed on “administrative leave,” which she translates as “don’t show up until you are officially separated from service and complete all mandatory paperwork.”

For Fram, this Tuesday is her last day. She jokes that she has no tears left, and although she can’t imagine life without wearing the uniform, she is clear that “she will try to keep serving with or without it.”

“I want to make sure there is a better future for all Americans,” she concludes.

Since the election campaign, Trump has made his opposition to transgender people a political flag and has ordered measures against them up to four times in just six months.

According to the latest report from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, transgender and gender non-conforming people were the target of more than half of the attacks recorded against the LGBTQ+ community in the past year.