As part ofLGBTQ Nation’sJanuary issue, we asked readers to tell us how one year of the second Trump administration has affected their lives and what they hope LGBTQ+ leaders and allies do differently in 2026.
We received dozens of submissions and will be sharing them throughout the month (you can also still submit).
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Peter Klicker, a 63-year-old transgender veteran, expressed anger that he cannot take advantage of the international opportunities afforded by his graduate program due to the Trump administration’s anti-trans passport policy. This year, he hopes to see more strength from LGBTQ+ leaders and allies.
Here’s what he had to say.
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How has living under the second Trump administration affected you personally over the last year?
I got extremely depressedbeginning with the first few anti-trans executive orders. I’m a disabled veteran with PTSD and felt like I was under attack, despite having done everything right. I got fired from my last job on Feb 25th… filed for 100% VA disability. It was approved.
Then I did some intense therapy at the VA, including a crisis management plan. It helped me realize the strength I do have, so despite being old (physically 64 next month, mentally going on 30), I applied to the Master of Human Rights program at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
I just completed my first semester back. However, I’m angry that a disabled veteran of the United States Marine Corps, honorably discharged in 1988 with a flawless record as a Sergeant of Marines, cannot get a passport with the correct gender marker.
I believe I would be endangered if I tried to travel with any documents that say female. I have NEVER been misgendered. I am a carbon copy of my next older brother… so that means I can’t travel to China this spring with classmates, I can’t do an internship at the UN in Geneva, I can’t travel anywhere outside of the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Why am I being punished?
What do you hope to see from LGBTQ+ leaders and allies in 2026?
I would love to see more people with the intestinal fortitude of Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE). I had the pleasure of interviewing her for a school assignment and learned so much from her – and she’s 29 years my junior.
We need our LGBTQ+ representatives to stand up to the bullsh*t.
Perhaps you’ve seen the video in which McBride is deliberatelymisgendered by a Republican man. She responded without anger, “Yes, Madam Chair?” No snark – just doing what she can to make an impact. That’s what I’d expect from LGBTQ+ leaders and our allies.
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