My name's Logan Ireland.
I am a staff sergeant in
the United States Air Force.
And I'm Leila Ireland.
I'm a retired army veteran.
Like a lot of modern-day
couples, we met online.
It's very rare that you find
that person that totally
completes you, totally gets--
He's still learning, though.
He's still learning.
Relationships, there's
a learning process.
[LAUGHS]
[LAUGHS]
My brother, myself,
and my youngest sister,
we were all in the military.
And so coming out to
my parents as trans
was a really tough
thing to go through.
I understood that it wasn't
just about me transitioning.
It was about everyone
around me transitioning.
Growing up in Texas,
I always liked women.
And kind of the
label was, oh, well,
they're a lesbian, obviously.
But it didn't fit right
with me, that label.
I was just-- I was
the worst lesbian.
Plaid everywhere, which--
Plaid everywhere.
It hasn't changed much.
The same thing.
Logan didn't actually come
to me and say, oh, you
know, by the way,
Mom, I'm transgender.
He came home one time, and
his voice was getting deeper.
And he just explained to
me that it was allergies.
I had to call him
out on the carpet.
I was like, yeah, no.
I'm your mom.
I know what's going on.
It's complicated,
but President Trump
tweeted out that, transgender
people should not be allowed
to serve in the military.
Though at the time,
they were just tweets,
it then got to be a memo sent
directly to the Pentagon.
As a veteran who served in the
military as a trans person,
reading those tweets was
devastating for people like us.
So I remember when
Ellen tweeted this.
"We should be grateful to the
people who wish to serve, not
turn our backs on them.
Banning transgender people is
hurtful, baseless, and wrong."
Those words speak volumes,
you know, to our community,
to the military, and how
we need to come together.
Anybody that meets any of
our trans military members,
they would not even
question if they
were fit to serve our country.
And it feels really
disheartening for a president
to not have our back, when I
would give my life for him,
and I would give my life
for anybody in this country.
Please welcome Leila and her
husband, Staff Sergeant Logan.
[CHEERING]
[MUSIC - PINK, "JUST LIKE FIRE"]
[SINGING] Just like
fire, burning up the way.
If I can light the world
up for just one day.
Watch this madness,
colorful charade.
No one can be just
like me, anyway.
Just like magic.
I'll be flying free.
[INAUDIBLE] Thank you.
[SINGING] I'm a disappear
when they come for me.
Hey.
[INAUDIBLE]
[SINGING] I kick that ceiling.
What you going to say?
No one can be just
like me, anyway.
Just like fire.
Oh, boy.
First of all, thank you
so much for being here.
And it's just so--
it's so brave of you to--
first of all, to
serve the country,
and then to be not supported
like this, and to come out.
And I just-- I
admire you so much
because it's really tough when
people just don't understand.
So let's be clear.
So you were born a boy-- a man.
Yes.
You were born a female.
Correct.
OK.
And how long ago did you start
your transitions, each of you?
So I started my
transition in 2012.
I joined the military in 2004.
You know, it was a
really difficult time.
I was still serving under
Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
But I was able to be
a part of that repeal.
But the repeal did not
include trans service members.
Mhm.
So during my transition,
my physical changes
started happening.
It was really prevalent.
And my leadership called me
into the commander's office
and asked me--
they handed me a tissue--
a piece of tissue
paper and asked
me to remove the
makeup from my face
to prove that I
wasn't wearing any.
And I wiped it,
there was nothing.
So it was really
difficult for me.
So for you, it was not.
And for you, it was a
different experience, right?
It was slightly different.
So I joined the military in
2010 for education benefits,
initially.
You know, I felt like a
hamster going in the wheel
everyday at work and
throughout college.
And I wanted to serve
in the military.
So I enlisted in the Air Force.
Mhm.
I started my medical
transition in 2012.
And from there, I was able
to live more authentically,
though I couldn't out
myself to my leadership
because that could potentially
be writing my discharge.
Right.
So you met President
Obama, right?
Yes.
Yes, we did.
That was a really humbling
and exciting experience.
To represent not just us but
the trans military community
as the first trans-- actively
serving trans couple,
to stand with him, and smile--
Yeah.
--and take those pictures.
So yeah.
Absolutely.
I don't think-- and I
say that in the intro.
I don't think people
understand that there
are over 15,000 transgender
people serving in the military.
And that is, like I say,
it's a selfless act.
For someone to want to
do it in the first place,
and then to not
be supported, what
does that feel like to have
the support of your unit,
but not to have the
support of the president?
You know, when I got back from
my deployment in Afghanistan
in 2015, I served as
male the entire time
I was in Afghanistan,
without fault or failure.
And it was amazing.
I had a fun time,
ironically, in Afghanistan.
And then, when I got back
home to my home station,
my leadership saw
that I was male.
And they wanted to do unto
me the best possible thing.
So they let me go by all
male regs and standards.
So I was allowed to
wear male dress blues,
and grow out this
horrible mustache,
and just live more
authentically, day in,
and day out.
And by my leadership
doing that, that
resonated throughout
the entire military.
And that is what
kind of spearheaded
what we now know as the policy.
Right.
So but for the most
part, you are supported.
And everybody you
work with and are
on the field with, everybody--
no one has a problem with it.
Your mom is in the
audience right now.
Hi, mom.
[APPLAUSE]
How are you?
[LAUGHS]
It's amazing, watching that
tape piece, how completely cool
you were with it.
Like, a lot of people
would not understand
that a mom would be
that cool, and just
go, no, I know what's going on.
[LAUGHS]
Like, you were just so fine.
Who wouldn't be proud to have
a son live his normal life
and be honest with themselves,
you know, as Logan and Leila?
That's what a mom
should do, yes.
[CHEERING]
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what a mom should do.
But not everybody--
some people just
have their own set ideas of
what their children should be.
And the fact that you love
Logan for who Logan is,
and that's amazing.
And your family is
supportive as well, right?
Yeah.
So my-- we are very fortunate
as trans folks in the community
to have--
to come from both very
supportive and loving families.
My family had-- they've
proven that to me by--
it was my birthday.
I had just moved from
San Antonio to Hawaii.
And they took me out for my
birthday, brought me back home,
and they set this
cake in front of me
in the living room and
sung Happy Birthday
and they said to turn--
to turn the cake around.
And that was the
first time that I
saw my chosen name on the cake.
And so it made me feel that
things are able to change.
And I was actually
loved by the family
that I needed at that time.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
Yeah.
It means everything.
It means everything to be
validated for, you know, just
being who you are, that your
family says, I love you,
and I support you.
It's everything.
It's all that matters.
Yeah.
I know you said you've
been together since 2012.
Yes.
And you've been married
a little over a year.
I know you want
to adopt a child.
That's been put on
hold because, depending
on what this decision is
that the president does,
you may be out of a job.
And you're worried about money.
So it's a really
tough thing to decide
to adopt a child right now.
Shutterfly loves helping people
tell their inspiring stories.
And they want to give you a
check for $25,000 to help you.
No.
[CHEERING]
