By J.P. LAWRENCE | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 30, 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Maj. Alivia Stehlik’s fears that transgender soldiers would be kicked out of the Army faded Friday as former President Donald Trump’s regulations were overturned. Those who meet military standards are once again allowed to enlist and serve openly.
But the policy change -- announced in March by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and taking effect Friday -- won’t erase Stehlik’s memories of how she said she felt while serving as a transgender woman in Afghanistan in 2018, when the White House initiated moves to bar most transgender people from serving.