U.S. Army Major Erica Vandal became a plaintiff in Talbott v. USA challenging Donald Trump’s ban on transgender service members and left the Army in June. She grew up on military bases worldwide and served as an officer for 10 years before transitioning in 2021. In 2021, an Army doctor diagnosed her with gender dysphoria, and her marriage ended after the transition. After leaving service, she works with Sparta Pride, a group for transgender military members and veterans, serving as a board member and treasurer. She helps set organizational strategy, provides microgrants to support transgender service members navigating separation, and explores other nonprofit and philanthropic opportunities while figuring out who she is outside the military.
"Right now, I'm taking some time to kind of figure out who I am outside the military. My identity has been so tied up with that, having been associated with the Army from birth basically. While I'm doing that, though, I am continuing to serve and give back to my community. Currently, I am a board member at Sparta, helping to set strategy and set the direction of the organization. I'm a treasurer there, and I'm helping to assist other transgender service members still in the military, trying to navigate separation."
"We're giving out a lot of microgrants to help them during these uncertain times. And I'm looking at other nonprofits and philanthropic organizations. What would you like to do at one of those? Any type of project management, that kind of stuff. I've been looking at t"
"U.S. Army Major Erica Vandal, 37, was tapped early last year to be a plaintiff in Talbott v. USA, the court case challenging Donald Trump's ban on transgender service members in the military. She left the Army last June. Vandal grew up on military bases around the world and spent 10 years as an officer before transitioning in 2021. That year, she got a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from an Army doctor. Her marriage did not survive the change."
#transgender-military-service #lgbtq-rights #talbott-v-usa #gender-dysphoria #veterans-and-separation-support
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