Published April 12, 2016
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Logan Ireland (Air Force) 
Transgender, at War and In Love/ Op-Docs/The New York Times
Laila Villanueva (Army)
Commissioned by The New York Times and produced by TransMilitary creator Fiona Dawson in partnership with Gabriel Silverman and Jamie Coughlin of SideXSide Studios, Transgender, at War and in Love was released June 4, 2015 as part of The Times’ editorial series Transgender Today.
In this 12 minute documentary, SPARTA members Logan Ireland (Air Force) and his fiancee, Laila Villanueva (Army) came out publicly as being transgender.
Ireland, 27, and Villanueva, 29, have a combined 16 years of service, four deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, and have received awards and commendations for their work. Yet Department of Defense medical readiness regulations prohibit their open service and classify them as unfit to serve.
SPARTA: Founded in 2013, SPARTA is an association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people who currently serve or have served in the U.S. armed forces and their families. Our mission is to advocate for and support our actively serving LGBT service members, veterans, and their families. As a membership organization, SPARTA exists by and for the LGBT military community. The name SPARTA originated as an acronym for “Service members, Partners, and Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All.” – www.spartapride.org
Photo Credit: Rhys Harper
NLGJA | The Association of LGBT Journalists
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