It's been a tough week for the transgender community. The Texas Senate passed a so-called bathroom bill regulating public restroom use for transgender Texans. The next day, President Trump tweeted that he'd like to ban transgender people from serving in the military.
Though the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told military leaders there would no changes to current policy for now, Nicole Lynn Perry says the president's statement is "very disheartening."
A transgender woman and Marine veteran, Perry served for five years in active duty and left in order to transition.
"I had an inkling at the time that I was [transgender], but I didn't know what it was," she said. It wasn't until 2012 that she could put a name to what she was feeling.
In this Friday Conversation, Perry also discusses:
- Why she enlisted
- Coming to terms with her identity
- Her experience in the Marines as a transgender person