Sam Rodriguez

There are so many things that I would not have today if it wasn't for joining the military. I would regret not fighting to stay.

There are so many things that I would not have today if it wasn't for joining the military. I would regret not fighting to stay.

There are so many things that I would not have today if it wasn't for joining the military. I would regret not fighting to stay.

I feel a lot of anger. I feel, and not just anger because of a ban, I feel a lot of anger and disappointment at large. Just, you know, trans and non-binary people have become public enemy number one. And once you start taking away the rights of trans and non-binary people, then the rest of the chips begin to fall.

I feel a lot of anger. I feel, and not just anger because of a ban, I feel a lot of anger and disappointment at large. Just, you know, trans and non-binary people have become public enemy number one. And once you start taking away the rights of trans and non-binary people, then the rest of the chips begin to fall.

I feel a lot of anger. I feel, and not just anger because of a ban, I feel a lot of anger and disappointment at large. Just, you know, trans and non-binary people have become public enemy number one. And once you start taking away the rights of trans and non-binary people, then the rest of the chips begin to fall.

Yes. Constant changing of the policies, it definitely creates distractions and also an instability, you know, not just for me, but for our leadership too and for the rest of the military, right? Because the yo-yoing of policy can make it challenging for people to know what is the most up to date.

Yes. Constant changing of the policies, it definitely creates distractions and also an instability, you know, not just for me, but for our leadership too and for the rest of the military, right? Because the yo-yoing of policy can make it challenging for people to know what is the most up to date.

Yes. Constant changing of the policies, it definitely creates distractions and also an instability, you know, not just for me, but for our leadership too and for the rest of the military, right? Because the yo-yoing of policy can make it challenging for people to know what is the most up to date.

And so when we need to be concentrating on training and deployment, we're often left just like navigating this unnecessary uncertainty. And that's what's really, you know, that's what's weakening our forced cohesion and readiness. It's not the fact that I'm in uniform. Because if I wasn't meeting the standards, I would have already lost my job.

And so when we need to be concentrating on training and deployment, we're often left just like navigating this unnecessary uncertainty. And that's what's really, you know, that's what's weakening our forced cohesion and readiness. It's not the fact that I'm in uniform. Because if I wasn't meeting the standards, I would have already lost my job.

And so when we need to be concentrating on training and deployment, we're often left just like navigating this unnecessary uncertainty. And that's what's really, you know, that's what's weakening our forced cohesion and readiness. It's not the fact that I'm in uniform. Because if I wasn't meeting the standards, I would have already lost my job.

People get separated from the military for all sorts of reasons all the time. I had actually wanted to join since high school, but I also didn't want to join during Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I was in a family that wasn't very supportive of me as a young queer person, and so then thinking of

People get separated from the military for all sorts of reasons all the time. I had actually wanted to join since high school, but I also didn't want to join during Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I was in a family that wasn't very supportive of me as a young queer person, and so then thinking of

People get separated from the military for all sorts of reasons all the time. I had actually wanted to join since high school, but I also didn't want to join during Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I was in a family that wasn't very supportive of me as a young queer person, and so then thinking of

Joining an institution that wasn't going to be supportive didn't seem ideal, even though being a part of something bigger than me did. When I ultimately decided to enlist in 2015, it was because I still very much felt this desire to join the military, and I wanted to be a mental health provider. I wanted to serve the people within the military.

Joining an institution that wasn't going to be supportive didn't seem ideal, even though being a part of something bigger than me did. When I ultimately decided to enlist in 2015, it was because I still very much felt this desire to join the military, and I wanted to be a mental health provider. I wanted to serve the people within the military.

Joining an institution that wasn't going to be supportive didn't seem ideal, even though being a part of something bigger than me did. When I ultimately decided to enlist in 2015, it was because I still very much felt this desire to join the military, and I wanted to be a mental health provider. I wanted to serve the people within the military.

You know, people that join the military, they take an oath to uphold the Constitution and to protect the American people. And we also have to take care of them if we're expecting them to then fight for our rights. And so for me, it was serving my country through the service that I give back to the other service members as a mental health provider.

You know, people that join the military, they take an oath to uphold the Constitution and to protect the American people. And we also have to take care of them if we're expecting them to then fight for our rights. And so for me, it was serving my country through the service that I give back to the other service members as a mental health provider.