“I’m glad that transgender people are going to be able to serve openly and not serve in the shadows like I did and other people did years ago up until now,” he said.
“I’m proud that my brothers and sisters can join now,” Gatlyn said. “I saw this as more than a small step forward. This is one jump forward for our country and countrymen because we’ve never had this kind of opportunity before.”
RELATED >> Pentagon ends ban on transgender troops in military
Gatlyn, who served both on active duty and in the Army Reserve, said he encountered harassment once in the Navy when a senior enlisted leader used a derogatory name.
Still, most of the troops were respectful and no other incidents occurred, he said.
Gatlyn began the transition from female to male in the Navy in 2003 and continued through his service in the Army Reserve. He left the military about a decade ago.
Stacy D. Sandberg, PFLAG Dayton transgender transition committee chairperson, said lifting the ban on transgender troops “is a positive move towards equality and towards further acceptance by our nation of all transgender people.”
The military should use transgender service members to help put the change in place, added Sandberg, 63, of Dayton.
Randy S. Phillips, president of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center, said he was “thrilled” with the Pentagon decision.
“We have a number of LGBT members in the military who can now be open about who they are,” he said.
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