Kate is Losing Her Pension for No Reason
Read my latest on trans service members in The Christian Century
On his first day in office, President Trump signed a flurry of executive orders, many of them targeting trans people. Executive Order 14843, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” directs the secretary of defense to ban trans people from serving in the military in any capacity. This order would fire over 15,000 American soldiers, including my friend, Sergeant First Class Kate Cole—despite the fact that the Army is facing its largest recruiting shortfall since the draft was abolished 50 years ago.
Kate and I met online. I was in a bunch of Southern Colorado rock climbing groups, and when I posted a message looking for a partner, she replied. In her picture, I could see a blonde girl on a wall, but I couldn’t see her face, so she told me what her car looked like before we planned to meet up in Cheyenne Canon. I thought Kate had messaged me from a group called “Climbers for Christ,” so I was expecting an evangelical stay-at-home mom.
I walked over to the silver Subaru with the topper and found a six-foot drill sergeant, busty, with long blond hair, copper brown eyes, pearl stud earrings, and tattoos. The bumper sticker on her car said, “Nature doesn’t judge.”
We shook hands and made small talk while we waited for her friend Cheyenne to join us. “Where are you from?” I asked. “I grew up in rural Mississippi,” she said, “but I’m never going back there. I love it here. When I get out of the Army I’m coming back to Colorado Springs to stay.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty great,” I said. Something we could all agree on, loving Colorado. “Also rocks. Rocks are pretty cool.” We laughed nervously.
As we scrambled to the base of the crag through a steep gully of boulders and loose rock, Kate told me her hobbies: snowboarding, shooting, caving, rafting. When she asked me about mine, I felt like the biggest square. I’d gotten into climbing at 36 after a life spent mostly avoiding sports. I own a handmade furniture business. I’m a writer. “Um, I like to read,” I said. “I can only have one dangerous hobby. That’s about all I can handle.”
Kate and Cheyenne talked about their careers in the Army. Guns, deployments, basic training, field work, lots of acronyms that went over my head. “I’ve never held a gun in my life,” I confessed. In college, I worked for an organization that helped conscientious objectors get out of the Army.
“That’s OK,” Kate said. To my relief, these tough women with life experiences so different from mine welcomed me. They were safe climbers. They were fun. We had a good first day and planned to climb together again soon.
Before climbing, I didn’t know any enlisted people, despite growing up in a town with three military bases. I also didn’t know any trans women, at least not well. It turns out meeting climbers online and having adventures with them is a great way to get to know America outside of my own echo chambers.
Read the rest of my piece in The Christian Century.
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