Transgender soldiers at the VMAs address Trump's ban on trans military recruits
[Photo by: MTV Look Different/Twitter]
MTV is making the best statement at the 2017 Video Music Awards by inviting transgender military members to the awards show, and they're sending a powerful message to the nation in the process.
See what they had to say below.
Read more: Musicians respond to President Trump’s transgender military ban
Last week, MTV president Chris McCarthy shared a statement saying the VMAs would be honored if transgender members of the U.S. Armed Forces would attend.
“MTV has invited transgender members of the U.S. Armed Forces to the 2017 Video Music Awards and we would be honored if they could attend,” McCarthy said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stand for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere.”
And that they did, carrying with them a message of hope for a brighter future for the nation's armed forces.
we're pumped to have these trans military members walk the #VMAs red carpet! ❤️�������� pic.twitter.com/wLhDmFxgO4
— MTV Look Different (@LookDifferent) August 27, 2017
Transgender soldiers on the #VMAs red carpet with a message: “Our nation is only safe if we have the best and brightest in our military.” pic.twitter.com/QWLPuLvm4t
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) August 27, 2017
Billboard caught up with the six members walking the red carpet, who shared their hope for a brighter future for the nation.
“Our nation stays safe because we have the best and brightest defending it,” Jennifer Peace, a captain in the Army, told Billboard. “So I hope that people who are watching [the VMAS] see it and think, 'Hey, if we're excluding these individuals who are qualified and capable to serve, and we're kicking them out—and we're not filing new people into the service solely based on them being transgender, and not based on their potential, are we as safe as we should be?'”
Six members walking the carpet this evening include Sterling James Crutcher, Air Force Airman First Class; Logan B. Ireland, Air Force Staff Sergeant; Jennifer Peace, U.S. Army Captain; Akira Wyatt, Navy Corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class; Laila Ireland, Retired Army veteran; and Brynn Tannehill, Former Navy Lt. Commander. Read their full stories on Billboard now.
The invite is a statement against Donald Trump’s transgender ban that he signed last night, declaring that the Department Of Defense is “to stop accepting transgender people who want to enlist in the military.”
The VMAs are taking place tonight on MTV, and you can check back for all the winner coverage.
What are your thoughts on MTV's amazing invitation to transgender military members? Let us know in the comments below!
