SPEAKER PELOSI AT GLAAD EVENT ON TRANSGENDER MILITARY SERVICE: “THE BAN IS AN ACT OF CRUELTY”

Mathew Lasky
Director of Communications, GLAAD
mlasky@glaad.org

Retired transgender U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer N. Pritzker delivers remarks via video message

GLAAD also surprises TransMilitary directors with GLAAD Media Award at Capitol Hill screening

Washington D.C., April 4th, 2019 – Yesterday, GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, Logo, and The Pritzker Military Museum & Library hosted a panel discussion and screening of the documentary TransMilitary on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The film highlights four transgender service members as they fight for their right to serve their country. The screening included more than a hundred invited guests including members of Congress, the media, and the military. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Joe Kennedy both gave remarks during the panel discussion on transgender military service which included trans service members Captain Jennifer Peace & Captain El Cook, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Rasmussen, and was moderated by Amna Nawaz of PBS NewsHour.

Speaker Pelosi’s remarks can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/fogEfV5BKD8

Watch the full panel including remarks from Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Kennedy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTmiLk9S6Hw

Select photos from the event can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dtqpi70y4tvgrkf/AAAn4zP2i1NhPyYQ-mr0lKtAa?dl=0

Retired transgender U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer N. Pritzker also delivered remarks via video message: “It’s critical that we stand together, in spite of party lines, to support our transgender service members, as they have stood for us.”

During the event, GLAAD Chief Programs Officer, Zeke Stokes, surprised Gabe Silverman, Fiona Dawson, and Jamie Coughlin (TransMilitary director, co-director, and producer – respectively) with a GLAAD Media Award. TransMilitary was named a recipient of a Special Recognition honor when the nominees for the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced earlier this year. The GLAAD Media Awards honor outstanding LGBTQ representations of LGBTQ people and issues.

TransMilitary, which received its world television premiere on Logo in November, is a groundbreaking documentary that won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2018 and has racked up a slew of awards and accolades from critics and audiences alike, including a nomination for the coveted Humanitas Prize. The film chronicles the lives of four individuals (Senior Airman Logan Ireland, Corporal Laila Villanueva, Captain Jennifer Peace and Captain El Cook) defending their country’s freedom while fighting for their own. They put their careers and their families’ livelihoods on the line by coming out as transgender to top brass officials in the Pentagon in hopes of attaining the equal right to serve. The film is now available on iTunes, Amazon, and other streaming services.

“TransMilitary tells the story of transgender service members fighting for our country, while unfortunately, they fight for their careers in the midst of a proposed ban on their service by the President. It’s critical that policy makers and military leaders hear their stories and understand that they just want to serve this country alongside other brave patriots without discrimination. Their stories – and their service and sacrifice – are undeniable” said Zeke Stokes, Chief Programs Officer at GLAAD

The evening’s panel was live-streamed on Logo’s social media platforms and is available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTmiLk9S6Hw