By Lambda Legal Senior Content Manager Lake Geslani
Laila Ireland has spent much of her life fighting to prove what has always been true: transgender people belong everywhere. A 40-year-old combat veteran of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Asian American descent, she has forged a path shaped by service, heritage, and the determination to make room for her within institutions that have historically excluded people like her.
Even as attacks on trans rights continue to escalate across the country Laila continues to use her voice to fight for the right to serve. Her visibility and voice has empowered younger generations of trans folks by giving them hope and enabling them to see that a successful future like hers is possible .
Last fall, Laila participated in Lambda Legal’s All Rise campaign, sharing her story as part of the broader fight for LGBTQ+ visibility and justice.
Fighting to Carry on a Family Legacy
For Laila, military service was a core part of her heritage . bringing with it deep familial ties that represented the continuation of a story first written by her ancestors.
“Service was always a part of my family history,” she explained. “My great grandfather, grandfather and father all served in the military, so joining the military was continuing a legacy. A commitment to something bigger than myself.”
But alongside that legacy came another motivation: the need to prove that she could serve in the military without sacrificing her core sense of self as a woman who is transgender. “My decision to serve was not only out of continuing tradition but also obligation,” she said. “It was an obligation to prove that I too belonged. To prove I was worthy enough.”
The Risk of Visibility
The transgender military ban has forced transgender service members to stay in the closet or to live authentically and risk losing their military career and being stamped as being unfit to serve–despite nearly a decade of meritorious service by transgender people.
In Shilling v. United States, Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation challenged the Trump administration’s Ban on open transgender military service. The plaintiffs in this case prevailed in the trial court with a powerful preliminary injunction. The Ninth Circuit rejected the defendant’s request to stay the ban pending the appeal, and the defendants turned to the Supreme Court who stayed the preliminary injunction in a one-paragraph “shadow docket” ruling that allowed the Ban to go into effect while the litigation proceeds. The results have been predictably devastating for thousands of transgender servicemembers who have been impacted by the harm, though Lambda Legal has vowed to continue to keep fighting until they are able to return to service with honor.
Laila knows firsthand the gravity of what’s at stake.
“It is important to me to ensure people understand that transgender people are just as capable, dedicated, and willing to sacrifice as anyone else who raises their right hand to serve.”
“That truth is reflected throughout our ʻike (knowledge), mōʻaukala (history), and ho’oilina (a legacy) as a society,” the resident of Honolulu continued. “Over the last decade, our service has proven the military is strongest when it values talent, integrity, and commitment from every able and willing person over fear or politics.”
“No one should have to choose between serving their country and being honest about who they are.”
Courage on the Battlefield and Beyond
The military shaped how Laila leads, connects, and moves through the world.
“The military taught me discipline, adaptability, leadership, and how to work alongside people from every imaginable background,” she noted. “It also taught me the importance of community — that survival and success often depend on how well we take care of one another.”
Those lessons continue to guide her everyday, especially in her tireless advocacy work. “The military has never taught me to retreat, so why would I start now?”
Laila recounted an especially memorable instance when she represented her country without retreating or hiding any part of herself. “The moment that made me most proud to wear the uniform was walking the halls of the White House during a LGBTQ Pride reception hosted by the Obama administration with my husband as our authentic selves — openly transgender, and proudly serving.
It reminded her “that courage is not only found on the battlefield, but also in the decision to stand fully in your truth when the stakes are personal.” She added, “It reminded me that patriotism and authenticity can exist together, even when others try to separate them.”
Storytelling as Resistance
Against the harrowing backdrop of the Trump administration, Laila continues to hold onto hope. She finds it in the community around her — “especially seeing younger generations living more openly and fearlessly than many of us were ever allowed to.”
She also turns to her Hawaiian roots to understand the power of storytelling.
“There is a proverb in Hawaiʻi: ‘I ka moʻōlelo ke ola, i ka moʻōlelo ka make.’ In our stories, there is life. In our stories, there is death,” she explained. “Stories determine what is remembered and lack thereof determines what is erased.”
For her, these stories also offer important lessons in survival and resistance.
“I find hope and joy in witnessing people continue to share their stories despite all the noise,” Laila said. “Most importantly, I’ve learned that trans people have always existed, always adapted, and always found ways to survive and thrive.”
Rising for the Next Generation
When it comes to her advocacy, Laila wants to lift up people just like her.
“I rise for the people who were told they were too different, too complicated, or too ‘other’ to belong,” she said. The veteran also feels called to be visible for “young trans people, especially those growing up in places where visibility still feels dangerous or impossible.”
And Laila knows the kind of impact her voice can have not just in the here and now, but for futures to come.
“I rise for my community, my culture, and everyone who fought before me so that I could stand here openly today and share in the kuleana (responsibility in Hawaiian) to pass the torch onto the generations that will follow in our footsteps so they don’t have to start from silence.”
“So they know they were always here, they have always mattered, and they have always belonged.”
Lambda Legal lifts up vital stories like Laila’s during Military Appreciation Month, but also every single day. To learn more about the brave servicemembers in Shilling v. United States, check out our Beyond the Uniform audiovisual series.
Join our All Rise campaign by donating today.