In a heartbreaking development for transgender military members and their allies, Colonel Bree Fram, one of the highest-ranking openly transgender officers in the U.S. military, has been placed on administrative leave and faces separation from the U.S. Space Force under the Pentagon’s newly enforced ban on transgender service.
Col. Fram’s removal follows the implementation of Executive Order 14183, signed by President Donald Trump in January, which bars transgender individuals from serving in the military. The policy, which the Supreme Court has allowed to move forward, requires active-duty personnel to self-identify as transgender or face potential dismissal during medical reviews or annual health checks.
Fram, a respected astronautical engineer and division chief for requirements integration at the Pentagon, shared her sorrow in an emotional Instagram post on Friday: “In my last official act, I was able to pin medals on three of my folks. The last salute broke my heart in two, and the tears flowed freely even as I have so much to be thankful for and so many amazing memories.”
Fram has served with distinction for more than 22 years, including 18 years in the Air Force before transferring to the Space Force. She described the policy change as a “hurricane approaching shore” and expressed deep concern for the thousands of transgender service members and future recruits who may soon be forced to leave the careers they built.
“It’s a challenge when your identity becomes political, because trans people are not broken,” Fram said in a personal capacity to Stars and Stripes. “We’re not asking anyone to fix us. We’re merely reaching for the best version of ourselves.”
Fram’s final interactions with military colleagues were bittersweet. “There was a moment of silence before reality settled in,” she wrote of her final meeting with Joint Staff leaders. “Then, one by one, a room full of senior leaders, admirals and generals, walked over to me… they offered those same words, now tinged with the sadness of past tense: ‘It’s been an honor to serve with you’.”
The new policy is grounded in DOD Instruction 6130.03, which claims gender dysphoria may result in “excessive time lost from duty for necessary treatment or hospitalizations.” Yet Pentagon data shows at least 4,240 service members have a gender dysphoria diagnosis—numbers that likely underrepresent the true scope of transgender Americans who have served openly, honorably, and effectively.
Fram’s personal journey in the military has been marked by both challenge and growth. She came out publicly in 2016, on the same day then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted the military’s previous ban on open transgender service. “I left for the gym to burn off the nervous energy, uncertain of how life might change,” she recalled. “When I returned, one by one, my teammates came to my desk, shook my hand, and said versions of, ‘It’s an honor to serve with you.’”
For transgender individuals, their families, and allies, this policy reversal underscores the precariousness of hard-fought gains. It also serves as a painful reminder that military service, an avenue for countless Americans to prove their dedication and skill, can be unjustly closed to some based solely on identity.
“I think all of us want to be able to take the uniform off at a time and a place of our choosing,” Fram said. “When it’s your own government that says you have to take that off because you are somehow not suitable for military service, that’s painful.”
Fram’s determination to speak up for those without the same privilege of rank and experience offers hope. “If I don’t speak for them and they are unable to speak for themselves, who will speak for them?” she asked.
As the Pentagon’s ban takes full effect, that question resonates loudly within a community now grappling with both fear and resolve, fighting to be seen, heard, and respected in the country they have already sworn to defend.
