This Is What It’s Like To Be A Transgender Person In The Military
26 July 2017, 17:38 | Updated: 26 July 2017, 17:48
As Donald Trump announces transgender people cannot serve in the US military, this ex-RAF pilot has told LBC exactly what it’s like to be in the armed forces as a trans woman.
In a series of tweets the US President cited "tremendous medical costs and disruption” as his reasoning for banning trans people.
Ayla Holdom transitioned while serving in the RAF back in 2010, she had already been in the job for seven years before she came out.
During a compelling interview with Shelagh Fogarty, Ayla opened up about what life was like during her transition.
“Luckily I was supported by employer,” she said. “Not just because it was the right thing for me to do as a person - but because it was the right thing for the organisation.
“They had invested in me, they want me to perform at my best and that was absolutely what I needed to make that happen.”
Ayla explained that coming out was “fundamental” to helping maintain and build a stronger working relationship with her colleagues.
Read more: Donald Trump won't allow transgender soldiers
“Our job in the military is to be professional, it is to do our job well, it’s to work for our unit to achieve whatever goals and orders we have,” she continued.
“That is fundamental to why we are there and what we are doing. Coming out for me was to enable that. Not just for me but for all of my colleagues as well and that was fundamental to everything."
In the interview above, Ayla also responds to President Trump’s “regressive” comments.
