A transgender Army Reserve officer in Kentucky is speaking out after appearing in uniform in a viral Trans Day of Visibility video. In an exclusive interview with The Advocate, she explains why she was willing to risk her military career to call attention to injustice at a time when the Trump administration is trying to kick out trans military service members.
Capt. Christina Winters, a public affairs officer who has served over 16 years across multiple combat and strategic deployments, posted the video to TikTok on March 31. In it, she delivers a message of encouragement to fellow trans Americans while condemning what she calls the Trump administration’s efforts to erase transgender people from society.
“My name is Christina Winters, and I’m a captain in the Army Reserve,” she says in the video. “I want you to know that you are seen, you are loved, you’re appreciated… Now, the current administration wants us to not be visible. They want us to be invisible. They want to remove us from society… We will not be erased. We are here, and we are here to stay.”
The video, which only has about 1200 views on Winters’ TikTok account and included a disclaimer that it did not represent the views of the Army, drew immediate backlash from anti-trans commentators and Republican lawmakers. Libs of TikTok, the anti-LGBTQ+ extremist account with more than 4.3 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) run by Chaya Raichik, targeted Winters.
Libs of TikTok posted that Winters “claims that the Trump administration is trying to remove trans people from their homes and is encouraging individuals to be ‘annoyingly’ proud during Trans Day of Visibility.”
The post was seen more than 1.2 million times.
Captain Christina Winters transgender Army soldier
Capt. Christina Winters at work.Courtesy Capt. Christina Winters
In a statement to The Advocate a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Reserve said it was “taking appropriate actions,” but added that they could not go into what those actions are because of privacy laws. “Army regulations prohibit soldiers from wearing official uniforms when speaking in an unofficial capacity,” the spokesperson said.
In her interview with The Advocate, Winters said she was not on duty when the video was filmed and deliberately chose to wear the uniform as part of her message.
“I wasn’t activated. I wasn’t speaking during duty hours,” she said. “I’m a reservist. This is really a gray area.”
Still, Winters said her chain of command contacted her the night the video began circulating in right-wing spaces.
“They said, ‘You might want to take the video down,’” she recalled. “They were asking me to silence myself and my message… You’re saying I could face consequences for speaking about equal rights.”
For Winters, the decision to post the video came from years of witnessing fear, isolation, and hostility directed at transgender people—including within the ranks, she said.
“So many people are scared,” she said. “There was a trans service member a couple of months ago who wrapped themselves in a flag and committed suicide because of the extreme duress these things cause us.”
In January, a transgender veteran in New York was found hanging from the top of a parking garage at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. Witnesses said the veteran was wrapped in a transgender pride flag.
Winters said she hopes her message sends a different signal: “Don’t hide yourselves. Be proud—annoyingly so,” she said in the video. “Tell your story. Let everybody see who you are.”
Captain Christina Winters transgender Army soldier
Capt. Christina Winters is a public affairs officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.Courtesy Capt. Christina Winters
Winters said her military career demonstrates a record of honor and leadership.
“I’ve deployed to Kosovo and Iraq. I’ve moved millions in equipment, led soldiers in multinational missions, and served this country with integrity,” she said. “To be told none of that matters because I’m trans is devastating.”
Her video comes amid growing legal and political turmoil over the Trump administration’s January executive order banning transgender military service. Executive Order 14183, signed by Trump and implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, not only bars trans individuals from enlisting or continuing service but also directs the Pentagon to begin removing currently serving troops.
Two federal courts have blocked the ban from taking effect. In Talbott v. Trump, Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes called the policy “soaked in animus and dripping with pretext.” In Commander Emily Shilling v. United States, Washington state U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle issued a nationwide injunction, finding no evidence to support the administration’s claims that trans troops harm military readiness.
But Winters isn’t convinced those rulings are being respected.
“They’re not adhering to the court order. They’re going ahead with business,” she said. “March was the deadline for voluntary separation. The rest of us are bracing for whatever comes next.”
The Advocate has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.
Winters said she knew the risks of speaking out but chose to do so anyway—because, as she put it, visibility is vital.
“This uniform is part of who I am. I’ve spent most of my adult life in it. That doesn’t stop being true just because of who I am,” she said. “People needed to see someone stand up.”
“I’m not telling anyone what they should do,” she added. “But if my video helps someone survive another day—if they see that I stood up and decide to keep going—it’s worth it.”
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