THIS IS SO GREAT.
Alongside the crème de la crème of the music industry (incl. Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, Katy Perry, etc), a group of transgender military members and veterans walked the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards today.
Airman Sterling James Crutcher, Air Force Staff Sgt. Logan Ireland, Army Capt. Jennifer Peace and Navy corpsman Akira Wyatt, and trans veterans Laila Ireland and Brynn Tannehill all walked the red carpet alongside leaders from GLAAD and SPARTA (and LGBTQIA service members and support group).
Most opted for t-shirts with their military positions on the front, but Tannehill opted for her full uniform. Badass.
we’re pumped to have these trans military members walk the #VMAs red carpet! ❤️💛💚💙💜 pic.twitter.com/wLhDmFxgO4
— MTV Look Different (@LookDifferent) August 27, 2017
Speaking to People on the red carpet, Peace said.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, our nation is only safe if we have the best and brightest in our country serving in the military. There was a time when blacks couldn’t serve, women couldn’t serve, where gays and lesbians couldn’t serve, and there was a time when trans people couldn’t serve.
“But today the armed forces are open to everyone regardless of your race, gender, religion, or anything else. If you’re willing to serve our country and you’re among the most qualified in the nation, you should be welcome in the United States armed forces just like everyone else.”
It comes after Donald Trump on Friday ordered the Department of Defence to reverse a 2016 order allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military. That order in itself comes a month after he announced the ban on Twitter, saying that the military “cannot be burdened” with the health costs.
But as multiple news organisations pointed out, the actual cost to the military would, at its most extreme, be between US $4.2 million and $5.6 million. That’s just 0.4% to 0.13% of the military’s total medical budget, and just one tenth of the annual $84 million the military spends on erectile disfunction medication.
By comparison, Trump’s frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago are estimated to cost $3.6 million each.
This is fine.
