Share to linkedin... [+]In 2015, Patricia King became the first transgender infantry soldier in the United States to come out as transgender. King’s trailblazing act launched her into the public eye, and she seems to have spent every moment since speaking out and fighting for the rights of trans people.
“One of them said to me, ‘Nobody ever speaks up. Nobody ever says anything. Nothing’s ever going to change.’ I thought, someone does need to say something. There’s a limited number of voices in this space, and if somebody was going to say something, that somebody might be me.” “This young soldier coming up to me, saying, ‘Hey, I need help,’ it felt like a very natural extension of my leadership within the military to stand up and be the voice that person needed. To me it didn’t feel brave. It felt like the right thing to do.”“The next thing you know, I was very out,” she says. “I’m fortunate to be able to have used that as a platform to share not only my story, but the stories of other trans service members, other LGB service members, and those in the margins.
King knew she had to speak out in opposition to this ban. “I felt a need for voices in the space,” she says. “I was already there, and I was very comfortable. Public speaking is something I’m fortunate to enjoy, and I do a pretty good job with it. It felt like the right place to be at the time. That’s where I was needed and could do the most good.”