(WSYM) — A transgender woman who served the country and in the Michigan National Guard is dropping a discrimination lawsuit after the Biden administration overturned former President Trump's policy for transgender service members to be discharged from the U.S. military.
Blaire McIntyre, born a male but identifies as a female, says she’s dropping her discrimination lawsuit after being told she would be chaptered out of the Michigan National Guard. She says she was essentially fired, and says any American should be able to serve no matter how they identify.
“It was very important for me to stand up and make my voice heard,” she said.
McIntyre, a transgender woman who served overseas in the 101st airborne division, says she’s happy to see President Biden overturned former President Trump's policy to discharge members of the U.S. military who identify as transgender.
“They told me we don’t know what to do, so we’re just going to follow the policy," McIntyre said. "When you read the policy, it says the end game you’re going to be chartered out."
McIntyre says she filed the discrimination lawsuit after the Trump policy went into effect. It never got that far before she filed the lawsuit.
“It’s very important for people to see a trans person speaking about this," she said. "Anyone can talk about trans issues. But to really get the impact of what we go through, what we live, what our every day is – you have to hear it from a trans person."
President Biden signed the executive order Monday that all Americans who are qualified to serve in the armed forces of the United States should be able to serve.
“Once it hit I just started crying," McIntyre said. "I got so overwhelmed I was at work, I was balling. It’s important because these last four years we didn’t have any light on us. It was like we were pushed aside and erased."
She says she only wanted to be treated equally and fairly.
“We’re not seeking special treatment," McIntyre said. "I hear that all the time, 'they want special treatment.' No, we want equal treatment. We want what everyone else has as Americans, that’s why I put on that uniform, that’s why I proudly went over seas to Afghanistan."
McIntyre says there’s still a long way to go with policy within the military but says this is a big first step.
