Under a new policy from the Pentagon, the military has been ordered to identify transgender troops and then remove them from service.
Karen Kendra Holmes, a trans woman who serves as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 for the U.S. Veterans Reserve Corps, has questioned President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at preventing transgender people from serving in the military.
“Why not? If we are capable of doing the things that any cisgender soldier does, why can’t we?” said Holmes, who previously served on the Maryland Defense Force.
The president’s order stated that it’s the policy of the military to “establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity,” and that those with gender dysphoria violate that policy.
“I wish President Trump would actually sit down with some of these trans people that are already in to see the leadership and the positivity of readiness that we have,” Holmes said.
The U.S. Veterans Reserve Corps is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, and not a part of the Department of Defense. Those who served in the U.S. military, State Defense Forces, in the government or civilians with specific skills can join.
Because of this, the executive order won’t affect Holmes’ service; but she made sure to double check.
“I knew it wouldn’t, but I went on and asked my colonel anyway,” Holmes said. “I said, ‘Is it going to be a problem?’ He says, ‘No, we won’t even be affected by that. Plus, we got your back.’ And I said, ‘Great.’ And that’s the way it is with our entire group — they’ve got my back.”
However, people close to Holmes will be impacted.
“There are some friends of mine — they’re colonels, they’re generals,” Holmes said. “And their actions, I’m positive, are very positive with the branch that they’re in.”
What the new policy says
On Feb. 7, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum for Pentagon leaders to enforce new rules on how transgender people will be treated.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused,” the memorandum stated.
A memo sent to Defense Department leaders on Thursday also ordered the military to come up with a plan to identify troops with gender dysphoria by March 26. Those troops will then be removed from service, The Associated Press reported.
It builds on Trump’s executive order from January — which is being challenged in a lawsuit filed by transgender active-duty service members and recruits.
‘They just want to serve’: The data on transgender troops
Holmes said some people argue that transgender people only join the military for the benefits and free gender-affirming surgeries, but she said that’s not true.
“Any other trans soldier who’s in there … they’re not joining to have surgery done by our taxes,” Holmes said. “We’re joining because we want to serve our country. And that’s the reason why we do it. We’re not looking for benefits like that. Because some of the trans people don’t want to have the surgery, they just want to serve.”
Between 2016 and 2021, there were 243 sex reassignment surgeries conducted at military facilities, according to military.com. But the data on transgender troops is very limited.
U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the number of easily identifiable transgender troops is in the hundreds and a total of 2.1 million troops are serving.
An investigation in 2018 by the Palm Center, a think tank that focused on LGBTQ+ military members, estimated there were about 14,707 transgender service members, serving both active duty and in the reserves.
‘We’re doing great things’
Holmes transitioned in 2010 and has a long career of public service under her belt. Through her service with U.S. Veterans Reserve Corps, she aids in things such as vaccine distribution, food distribution and hurricane cleanup.
“We’re doing great things right now. We’re learning more in regards to search and rescue, we’ve learned some stuff as far as swift water rescue training, how to tie knots to lower somebody down on litter, pulling them up in a litter. We’re sharp,” Holmes said. “We’re literally everywhere that anybody wants our services. We’re going to be there.”
She joined the Maryland Defense Force in 2011 as a corporal and worked on the Color Guard team, did force protection and was a chaplain’s assistant.
In 2012, she won Non-Commission Officer Soldier of the Year by the Maryland Defense Force and the Maryland State Guard Association. In 2013, she won Soldier of the Year for her leadership and achievements at her post by the State Guard Association of the U.S.
“We’re doing great things out there,” Holmes said.
Before Trump made a sweeping cut of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, she also travelled across the country to different law enforcement offices, aiming to bridge the gap between them and the transgender community.
“Why would you want to get rid of a trans person who has the knowledge that you’ve trained us on to be able to do the things out there in the community, to serve the community?” Holmes said. “I get frustrated when I hear people in Congress who don’t like us or even President Trump who doesn’t believe that we should be in the military.”
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