Trans troops leaving military following Trump administration ban
Bree Fram, a colonel in the U.S. Space Force and a transgender woman who was tapped to be the grand marshal at the Annapolis Parade last month before bad weather postponed it, said Monday she will retire after a Trump administration directive led to her being placed her on leave.
Fram is among a wave of trans people voluntarily leaving military service following an ultimatum from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who directed transgender servicemembers to elect by last weekend whether they would go on their own, or face 'involuntary separation.'
In a May memo, the Trump administration had argued that 'service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the military services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security.'
Support for transgender troops serving in the military has declined from 71% in 2019 to 58% in 2025, according to a February Gallup poll, but the majority of Americans still believe the military should be open to transgender and gender-nonconforming servicemembers.
Fram, who lives in Virginia, joined the military not long after the attacks of Sept. 11. While she said she is proud of her accomplishments, Fram also said the first 13 years of her career taxed her mentally, as she had to conceal her identity as a trans woman.
That changed in 2016, when then-Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said transgender people could serve openly. Since then, Fram has been open about being transgender.
'I am proud of being a trans person who has served and who has upheld her oath to the Constitution and done everything this nation has asked of me,' Fram said. 'I know the writing that is on the wall and that my service is no longer required or requested by this nation, so I have applied for retirement.'
As of Monday, Fram was on administrative leave pending retirement approval. She spoke with The Sun about her retirement and the circumstances around it but added that her views do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense.
Nationwide, around 1,000 service members have begun the process of voluntary separation, according to a statement issued by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell on May 8. Maryland has over 6,500 service members across the National Guard, Air Guard, Defense Force and Military Department, a 2023 study showed. Another 27,863 federal servicemembers were born in Maryland, but only 2.5% of them reside in Maryland.
Some Maryland officials have voiced their disapproval of the policy, which they say is discriminatory and harmful to national security.
In a statement, Gov. Wes Moore, an Army veteran, said: 'We as a nation must respect these patriots by putting a halt to attempts to minimize the military by trying to divide the military.'
On May 30, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, who was supposed to walk alongside Fram during Annapolis' Pride Parade, signed onto an amicus curiae brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, arguing against the ban.
Brown called the ban 'discriminatory' and a 'direct attack on our Constitution and the core American values of fairness and equal treatment,' in a statement Friday.
'This policy is not only unjust; it undermines our military readiness and betrays the courage and sacrifice of those who have stepped up to serve. It must be reversed immediately,' Brown said.
The weekend deadline set by Hegseth, which coincided with the first week of Pride Month, follows a Supreme Court decision permitting the reinstatement of orders from the Department of Defense that called for the removal of transgender troops. The department says it does not maintain a state-by-state breakdown of how many transgender soldiers will be affected. Maryland's Military Department, which oversees the Maryland National Guard, declined to comment.
June 6 was the deadline for active duty members to self-identify in order to be eligible for the voluntary separation process, which offers monetary compensation. The deadline for National Guard members is July 7. Remaining transgender and gender-nonconforming soldiers will be removed through an involuntary process, Hegseth's May memo said.
'We are all being forced out,' Fram said. 'I want to make it clear that there is no 'voluntary' or 'involuntary' separation. Neither of those things would be the choice that any of us would be making.'
In a statement Friday, Annpolis Pride, which organizes the parade, said 'our nation is less safe because thousands of brave Americans have been forced to leave the armed forces — not because of any failure in duty, but because of hatred codified at the highest levels of government,' It is unclear if Fram will return for the rescheduled parade in the fall. The U.S Space Force declined to comment.
According to Cathy Marcello, the Interim Executive Director of Modern Military Association of America, which works with LGBTQ+ veterans, nearly three-quarters of transgender service members have served for over 12 years.
'People are losing their homes, their livelihoods, their community, their identity — and their families are being uprooted suddenly with no backup plan or safety net,' Marcello said.
Maryland's VA department is working with the University of Baltimore's Bob Parsons Veterans Advocacy Clinic to 'connect transgender veterans with legal support services, especially for discharge upgrades or discrimination cases,' Ross Cohen, the acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans & Military Families, said.
Fram said that leaving her career has been a 'grieving process' because she is 'stepping away from something that [she] love[s], something that [she] care[s] about, something that [she] intended to do far into the future.'
---------------
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
28 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump says Harvard agreement on international students may be announced within a week
President Donald Trump on Friday said a deal with Harvard University, related to its policies surrounding international students, may be announced within a week. "Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their largescale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so." The president noted the university "acted extremely appropriately" during negotiations, applauding leadership's apparent commitment to do "what is right." "If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be "mindbogglingly" HISTORIC, and very good for our Country," Trump wrote. The announcement came as Federal Judge Allison Burroughs on Friday issued a preliminary injunction, allowing Harvard University to continue hosting international students, despite a Trump executive order. It is a major legal victory for the Ivy League school, which has been fighting a variety of restrictions imposed by the administration. The temporary court order stays in effect until the case is fully decided on the merits. Harvard University sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), challenging the revocation of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Without the program, current and future international students would be barred from attending the university. Harvard alleged the revocation was the culmination of a retaliatory campaign by the Trump administration on academic freedom at Harvard. Attorneys argued the policy is an infringement of the university's Due Process and First Amendment rights, in particular Harvard's constitutional right to be free of retaliatory action for protected speech, as well as violating the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). The order states the revocation cannot be used to negatively affect visa applications, deny entry to the U.S., or be used as a reason to claim a visa holder has lost their non-immigrant status. Harvard University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
Why aren't tariffs causing inflation?
Why aren't tariffs causing inflation? For the past year, many economists warned that tariffs would increase prices, but inflation is lower today than when President Trump took office. CNN's Matt Egan breaks down why this might be the case and how economists expect that to change in the coming months. 01:09 - Source: CNN Vertical Trending Now 15 videos Why aren't tariffs causing inflation? For the past year, many economists warned that tariffs would increase prices, but inflation is lower today than when President Trump took office. CNN's Matt Egan breaks down why this might be the case and how economists expect that to change in the coming months. 01:09 - Source: CNN 50 years of 'Jaws' and shark attacks As Steven Spielberg's summer blockbuster 'Jaws' turns 50, CNN's Harry Enten figures out how likely it is to be attacked by a shark and whether we should fear the waters. 01:57 - Source: CNN Erupting volcano puts Indonesians on high alert Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, erupted Tuesday, sending an ash cloud high into the air. The country's volcanology agency has raised the alert level to the highest. 00:59 - Source: CNN The NHL Stanley Cup's perfect imperfections The Stanley Cup is one of the most iconic trophies in all of sports, but one of the reasons the NHL's championship trophy is so lionized is its perfect imperfections. CNN's Coy Wire spoke to The Keeper of the Cup Howie Borrow for a tour of some of the trophy's character-building bloopers. 01:02 - Source: CNN Storm chaser captures 'unprecedented' view of monster hailstones falling from sky Storm chaser and research scientist Sean Waugh has documented softball sized (or greater) hailstones in freefall with an ultra-high-tech camera mounted on a retrofitted research vehicle. The goal – to study and better understand what makes gigantic hail form, and how to better detect it and ultimately improve severe weather warnings. Sean speaks with CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam while on the road, capturing imagery of this very impactful and expensive natural phenomenon. (edited) 01:47 - Source: CNN Flash flood destroys apartment building An apartment building in West Virginia partially collapsed as flash floods hit the area. The governor's office said at least five people are dead and four people remain missing following the floods. 00:31 - Source: CNN After talking to hundreds of dads, this podcaster shares his two biggest lessons Dr. John Delony speaks to millions of listeners on his popular podcast about mental health, family and relationships. As a therapist, he's used to offering advice to struggling fathers, but we asked him about the biggest lessons he's learned as a dad. 01:32 - Source: CNN Rare deep-sea squid filmed alive for first time Scientists have captured the first-ever footage of the elusive Gonatus antarcticus squid alive in its deep-sea habitat. CNN's Jeremy Roth describes the rare encounter. For more on this story, visit 01:12 - Source: CNN Trump draws boos and cheers at Kennedy Center President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center's opening night of "Les Misérables." 00:29 - Source: CNN The many adventures of the Stanley Cup Winner's of the NHL's Stanley Cup each get to take the cup for a day and do whatever they want with it. CNN's Coy Wire recounts some of the Cup's wildest days out. 00:43 - Source: CNN BTS members discharged from South Korean military One of the world's biggest boybands could soon be making a comeback with six out of seven members of K-Pop supergroup BTS now discharged from South Korea's mandatory military service. The band plans to reunite at some point later this year. 00:47 - Source: CNN Combs requests mistrial for a second time CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister explains that Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense team requested a mistrial for a second time, which was denied. Combs' team accused the prosecution of presenting false testimony from Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura's, who testified that Combs dangled her over a balcony. 01:26 - Source: CNN Tennessee sheriff's office airlifts escaped zebra to safety DEK: A zebra, that escaped from its owner in Christiana, Tennessee was captured on Sunday and airlifted to safety by the local sheriff's office. The animal, named Ed, had been reported missing just a day after he was acquired by its owners in Rutherford County. They have since been reunited. 00:35 - Source: CNN Jamie Foxx breaks down during BET Awards acceptance speech Jamie Foxx was overcome with emotion while accepting the Ultimate Icon Award at the BET Awards. He reflected on his 2023 health scare. 00:45 - Source: CNN See what's coming to your iPhone and other Apple devices Apple announced major software updates at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Most of the new features won't reach users' devices for a few months when OS 26 releases this fall. 01:49 - Source: CNN
Bloomberg
29 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Says Iran Wants to Speak With US, Not Europe
Bloomberg Markets: The Close President Donald Trump says two weeks is the maximum amount of time he will allow to pursue diplomacy with Iran while speaking with reporters. (Source: Bloomberg)
