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‘A Really Dark Day for Our Country’: Trans Navy Vet Goes on CNN to React to Trans Military Ban

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On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration may start enforcing a transgender military ban that had been blocked by lower courts, who said it was not supported by evidence, was “soaked in animus” and violated equal protection principles. The result: Roughly 4,200 transgender troops woke up yesterday without a job.

Hours after the ruling, Alaina Kupec, a good friend of mine and a transgender Navy vet, went on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, a show that uses the slogan, “Americans with different perspectives aren’t talking to each other, but here, they do.”

Kupec opened by calmly explaining how there’s no evidence that banning trans folks from the military affects readiness and that this is “a really dark day for our country where basically we’re allowed to discriminate against a class of people.”

The 11-minute segment quickly devolved into a false equivalency cross-fire-esque argument where Scott Jennings—a former advisor to Mitch McConnell who has been dubbed as the Conservative Pundit Explaining Red America to CNN Viewers—and Shermichael Singleton—who had a brief stint working for President Trump during his first term—defended the decision to discriminate against trans folks.

Another panelist rightly asked how this ruling is different from discriminating against gay people or Black people.

Singleton, who is Black and cis, responded, “That’s ridiculous.” He looked visibly uncomfortable when pressed and said, “I reject those parallels. I think it’s a ludicrous parallel.”

Jennings, who is white and cis, grossly chuckled across the table from Kupec as they debated the comparison, and quickly followed up by asking the host, Abby Phillip, “Do you believe that the quality of race and the quality of transgender are the same?”

Phillip, who I wish would have answered the very easy question, pivoted.

Speaking with folks of various perspectives on all issues is important. We do it here at Uncloseted. But to see these two men chuckle away the idea that trans lives are just as important as gay lives or Black lives is despicable. I personally love Abby Phillip, but I wish she could have pressed and checked these guys harder as they spewed obvious and abhorrent transphobia across the primetime news table.

I don’t have all the answers about how the media can do better covering trans issues.

Maybe have folks like Jennings and Singleton—who are unquestionably not experts on transgender issues—sit these panels out and swap them with Republicans who actually know what they’re talking about. Maybe Phillip needs producers and journalists on her team who can better prep her for these high-stakes conversations that help shape public perception of the most vulnerable population in our society. And maybe, just maybe, CNN can include more than one trans voice on a six-person panel talking about trans issues.

At this moment, we can’t afford to produce these segments without the care and attention they so desperately need.

Despite this, one thing is for sure: I’m so proud of Kupec, a stoic and brave voice for the trans community that I’m lucky to call a friend.

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Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:

  • 🆕 On Saturday, Mark Fitzpatrick, owner of the Old State Saloon in Eagle, Idaho, joins us to discuss his upcoming event, “Hetero Awesome Fest,” set to take place across from the Idaho Capitol during LGBTQ Pride Month. In the interview, Fitzpatrick explains the goals of the two-day festival, his motivations for launching it, and his response to the widespread criticism the event has received.

  • 🆕 On Tuesday, as state and federal data privacy laws evolve, LGBTQ advocates are raising concerns about how personal information is collected, stored, and shared. In this interview, legal experts and digital privacy advocates discuss the unique risks queer people face—especially in states with anti-LGBTQ legislation—and what protections are urgently needed to safeguard digital privacy and personal safety.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!

Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com

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