In August 2017, President Trump issued an executive order banning transgender Americans from serving in the military and tasked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis with giving him recommendations on how to carry out that ban. Ms. Beck, formerly known as Christopher, deployed 13 times, including to Afghanistan and Iraq. Along the way, she was awarded numerous ribbons and medals for her service, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. In 2013 Ms. Beck came out as a woman and began hormone therapy in preparation for sex reassignment surgery. In this video op-ed, Ms. Beck makes a last-minute plea to allow all transgender Americans to serve their country.

Source: New York Times February 23, 2018 17:48 UTC