In the quiet of the early hours, before the daily drills begin at a military base, LeAnne Withrow would sneak into the women’s shower room. It was always around 2 or 3 a.m.—before the rush of the day started, ensuring no one else would be there.
Withrow, a transgender woman who came out in 2016, never sought to be a symbol. She simply wanted to serve and help her fellow soldiers, living her life as quietly as possible without drawing attention.
However, under the Trump administration’s new mandate, which requires federal employees to use bathrooms matching their sex assigned at birth, Withrow has found herself at the center of a heated legal and political storm.
The policy change bars transgender individuals from using the restroom that aligns with their gender identity, forcing Withrow to confront a reality she hoped to avoid.
Facing Challenges and Fears
Withrow, now a civilian employee with the Illinois National Guard, filed a complaint with the Army National Guard Bureau of Equal Opportunity in response to this new mandate.
The policy shift has left her feeling as if she’s “walking on eggshells” in her everyday life. “Life can be very dangerous for trans people,” she says, expressing her concerns about how simple tasks, like using the bathroom, could become life-threatening in the current climate.
In January, the Department of Defense announced that it would begin removing at least 1,000 openly transgender service members from the military. Others were given 30 days to self-identify as transgender, with the Pentagon threatening to review medical records to identify those who did not come forward.
For Withrow, this is a personal issue, but also one that affects the entire transgender community. “There are people whose careers and lives will be permanently and irreparably altered by this,” she warns, emphasizing that even if the policy is later overturned, those careers may already be destroyed.
A Turning Point for Transgender Rights in the Military
Withrow had previously served as a staff sergeant in the National Guard, and like many others, had once been part of the estimated 4,420 transgender service members, making up about 0.2% of the total military personnel.
While Withrow remains in her civilian position, the policy change still stirs fear about the direction this will take for future legal battles and anti-trans policies.
These include threats to cut funding for hospitals providing gender-affirming care to trans youth, as well as attacks on transgender athletes, like the case of a transgender swimmer in 2022.
This battle, however, is not just confined to military policy. Withrow is also concerned about the broader impact of the Trump administration’s actions, especially regarding the rights of trans youth.
With significant legal battles ahead, including cases involving Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors and the constitutionality of state bans on conversion therapy, Withrow fears these policies will deeply affect the lives of many transgender individuals.
Looking Forward: A Desire to Serve Without Discrimination
Withrow’s ultimate goal is simple: she wants to continue serving military families, veterans, and others without facing discrimination. Her mission has always been to help, to support others, and, ultimately, to go home safely at the end of the day.
“At some point in between, I will probably need to use the bathroom,” she says. But even this basic need, under the current political climate, feels uncertain and fraught with potential danger.
As she continues her fight, Withrow hopes for a future where transgender individuals are treated with respect and dignity, both in the military and society at large.