Officers and enlisted. Combat veterans and recent recruits. Transgender service members say their military experience has looked nothing like the portrayal of them in the political arena.

Feb. 27, 2025

Sgt. First Class Julia Becraft circled up a dozen infantry soldiers at Fort Cavazos, Texas, and introduced herself as their new squad leader. She let them know they were in experienced hands: She had deployed to Afghanistan three times, seen a fair share of combat and been awarded the Bronze Star.

Also, she told them, she was transgender.

She had worried about this moment since transitioning a year earlier. How would the soldiers react? Would they accept a trans woman as their leader?

For a few seconds, no one spoke. Then there were nods of acceptance. Other soldiers started introducing themselves as well, sharing something about their own lives.

Then they all went to do morning physical training, just like every other squad in their battalion.

“At first, you could tell some were surprised,” Sergeant Becraft recalled earlier this year. “But they saw I was genuine and respected my experience. Me being transgender just wasn’t that much of a thing.”

Sergeant Becraft does not recognize herself in the Trump administration’s portrayal of transgender service members. The administration says, without providing evidence, that trans troops saddle the government with costly health care and corrode military effectiveness. An executive order last month asserted that being transgender “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle.” Late on Wednesday, the Defense Department released a memo saying that trans troops now serving would be forced out.