On August 17, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stood at a campaign stop for Representative Zach Nunn at the Iowa State Fair and mocked transgender troops with a slur. "At the Department of War, we do training, not t***nies," Hegseth said, according to The Advocate. He followed it by claiming the military is "colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based."

Nunn, who was there supporting his own reelection campaign, defended the administration's ban on transgender service members in the same report: "It's a locker room for girls. This is a common sense approach."

Hegseth leads the Pentagon. Every transgender service member currently serving, or hoping to serve, works under his authority. Mocking them is not a policy disagreement. It is disrespect from the very top of the chain of command, aimed at people who signed up to risk their lives for this country.

A federal appeals court has already ruled that the Defense Department cannot discharge transgender troops while lawsuits over the ban continue. Instead of following that ruling in good faith, the Secretary chose to make them the punchline at a political rally.

Cabinet secretaries are supposed to represent every service member, not just the ones who share their politics. Language like this has no place from the person entrusted with military morale and readiness. Members of Congress who oversee the Department of Defense have the power to demand answers and hold Secretary Hegseth accountable for his conduct.

Sign the petition to demand Congress hold Secretary Hegseth accountable, so transgender service members get leadership that respects them instead of slurs.