September 29, 2017
Watch: Ellen Talks with Transgender Military Couple, Gives Them Incredible Surprise
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A transgender married couple who are both in the military stopped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" this week to discuss the realities of possibly losing their job, thanks to President Trump.
Logan and Laila Ireland met online while they were both serving in the military. When chatting with Ellen, they opened up about Trump's highly controversial ban that will prevent trans people from serving in the military.
Long, 29, is a staff sergeant currently serving the Air Force. Lila, 31, served as a combat nurse in the Army from 2004 to 2015.
"When I got back from my deployment in Afghanistan in 2015, I'd served as male for the entire time I was in Afghanistan, without fault or failure," Logan explained. "When I got back to my home station, my leadership saw that I was male and wanted to do unto me the best possible thing, so they let me go by male regs and standards.
"I was allowed to wear male dress [uniform] and grow out this horrible mustache, and live more authentically day in and day out," he added. "By my leadership doing that, it resonated throughout the entire military, and spearheaded what we now know as the policy."
The couple go on to say they were planning on adopting a child but had to stop due to Trump's announcement.
After sharing their story, Ellen gave the couple a huge surprise.
"I know you want to adopt a child but that's been put on hold, because depending on what this decision is from the president, you may be out of a job and you were worried about money," she said. "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 cheque for $25,000 to help you."
Watch the heartwarming clip below.
