Repeal of transgender military ban opens new chapter for former ROTC member

Nic Talbott, a transgender man who dreams of enlisting in the military, spoke to Yahoo News just two days after President Biden fulfilled his campaign promise and signed an executive order to reverse a ban on transgender troops.

Video Transcript

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NICHOLAS TALBOTT: My name is Nicholas Talbott. I am 27 years old. I am a graduate student at Kent State University, and I am in the process of returning to Army ROTC. I have always had an interest in military service. Ever since I was a little kid, I remember wanting to be in the Army when I grew up. And life takes you on a different path than what you imagined when you were a child very often. And I found myself in college.

At the time, the military was not accepting transgender recruits openly. It was a bit of a gray area. And very shortly after I earned my bachelor's degree, the Obama administration lifted the policy, or they revised the policy to open transgender military service. And as soon as that happened, I began to get in touch with every recruiter I could possibly find a phone number for in my area.

And I eventually found a wonderful Air Force National Guard recruiter located about two hours away from my house. And I worked with him for about a year and a half trying to enlist in the Air Force National Guard. And during that time is when former President Trump made his announcement that he intended to ban transgender people from serving in the military. So it's been quite a process throughout the years.

I was absolutely thrilled when I heard the news that President Biden had issued the executive order. It's like a huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. I can really now focus on my career and my goals and being the best soldier or airman I can possibly be without the distraction of having to worry about whether or not I may lose my job any day based on a policy that has nothing to do with my abilities.

This ban has definitely made me put my entire life on hold for years. Everything has been up in the air, in a gray area. And it's been really hard for me to make big decisions. Even things like going to the orthodontist to get my teeth straightened was something that I had to weigh very heavily in case the opportunity presented itself to go off to basic training.

So it's been very challenging to have that air of uncertainty around me for so many years. And now it's so exciting to finally be able to move forward. I feel like I can actually start my adult life at the age of 27. I like to think of myself as a very strong person. I've had a very challenging life not only being transgender, just in general.

I've faced a lot of obstacles in my life having nothing to do with my gender transition. But honestly, I think the hardest part for me was watching how this ban and my struggle affected the people that I love. I know my family has a very hard time watching me do all of this and knowing that I'm stuck on the sidelines and can't pursue my career or pursue my dreams because of something that they know is such a ridiculous ban.

So I think that was probably the hardest part for me, was watching how that affected them, especially my grandmother. She was my absolute best friend. She was my biggest supporter. Unfortunately, she passed away last year. So I think for me now, the hardest thing is knowing that she didn't get to see this ban repealed. But I know she had faith that this would happen someday.