Summary

This Emmy-nominated short documentary commissioned by The New York Times shares the challenges of a transgender military couple, who are banned from serving openly. Named as a Vimeo Staff Pick in 2015, this short film is the precursor to SideXSide’s first feature documentary, Transmilitary.

Impact

Transgender, at War and in Love debuted on the homepage of The New York Times, alongside the editorial board’s article. The piece helped to spark a chain of events that lead to the lifting of the ban. The same afternoon it was published, the US Air Force suspended its dismissal of transgender service members until further review of the policy. Within weeks Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced a working group to study the ban. Our two main subjects, Senior Airman Logan Ireland and Corporal Laila Villanueva, was invited to the White House to meet President Obama. The film became one of the most watched Op-Docs of all time.

HBO’s John Oliver Last Week Tonight featured the film in its segment on transgender rights.

On June 30, 2016 the ban was formally lifted. Just over a year later, President Trump tweeted out his desire to re-instate the ban.

Awards & Recognition