Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Uses Anti-LGBTQ Slur at Iowa State Fair Event
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used an anti-LGBTQ slur, referring to transgender people as 'trannies,' during a 'Salute to the Troops' military fundraiser at the Iowa State Fair. The event, initially scheduled for March, was delayed after two Iowa service members were killed in an Iranian airstrike, which Hegseth had previously downplayed. During his remarks, Hegseth stated, 'At the Department of War, we do training, not trannies,' emphasizing a focus on 'training, lethality, accountability, discipline, readiness' as the sole priorities of the department. He further described the department's approach as 'colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based.' This incident follows a pattern of the Trump administration targeting transgender individuals, including President Trump's executive order banning transgender and nonbinary people from military service, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in May, though legal challenges persist in lower courts. 
