Millions of Americans are expected to fill streets across the country on Saturday, with organizers predicting it will be the largest mass protest in U.S. history. Spreading from Washington, D.C. and New York City to Los Angeles, Atlanta and hundreds of smaller cities, the No Kings demonstrations will unite people alarmed by the rapid erosion of democracy under the current administration of President Donald Trump.
Stay up to date LGBTQ+ News and Politics. Sign up for The Advocate’s email newsletter.
Among those scheduled to speak at the main event in Washington is retired Navy Commander Sean G. Skelly, who served as assistant secretary of defense for readiness and force management and later served as assistant secretary of defense for personnel and readiness in the Biden-Harris administration. She became the second transgender person confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Skelly, who also serves on the board of the Human Rights Campaign, is expected to appear alongside HRC chief of staff Jay Brown and focus on his relationship with the Human Rights Campaign. LGBTQ+ Equality and democratic integrity.
Related: Senate approves historic LGBTQ+ nominee for Pentagon
in a conversation with defender Ahead of the No Kings protests, Skelly said attacks on transgender Americans were not isolated culture war skirmishes but part of a broader strategy to undermine the country’s institutions. “The attacks on transgender Americans are not happening in isolation,” she said. “It’s an experiment to dismantle democracy itself.”
Veteran’s perspective
Skelly’s 20-year Navy career and subsequent civilian service gave him a deep understanding of how power, policy, and politics intersect within the Department of Defense. A graduate of the University of South Carolina and the United States Naval War College, she served as a naval flight officer before retiring with the rank of commander. She later became one of the first transgender women to hold a Senate-confirmed position in the Department of Defense, placing her at the center of decision-making regarding unit readiness, personnel policy, and health care for service members and their families.
Related: ‘No Kings’ protests: What you need to know about the June 14 rally against Trump
She said the experience gave her an understanding of how the system works and an alertness to how quickly it can bend to achieve political goals. She spent years in rooms where policy debates were driven by evidence, process, and law. Now she describes it as “governing guardrails” designed to protect the military from partisan manipulation.
“We’ve seen how these systems work when people respect boundaries,” Skelly said. “There was a rhythm: how information flowed, how dissent was handled, how accountability was enforced. You can tell when that rhythm changes, when the flow of truth slows down or is replaced by fear.”
Skelly said watching President Trump’s second term unfold has felt like watching guardrails crumble in real time. “I thought it was ridiculous to talk about the American dictatorship,” she said. “We now think that is plausible, especially when leaders condition their people to accept progressive erosion of power.”
For her, this change is not just political. It’s an institutional thing. “Once those inside stop resisting and start convincing themselves that silence equals professionalism, that’s when we lose the republic,” she said.
History of targeting
Skelly said he saw transgender Americans starting to be vilified in government after President Trump suddenly announced on social media during his first term that he would ban transgender people from serving in the military. “Thousands of little hate agendas have blossomed,” she said, drawing a line from then to now, with the Pentagon enacting policies and federal agencies attacking transgender identities. “The word ‘transgender’ has started to disappear from all federal government websites and documents,” she said.
Under President Joe Biden, restrictions on transgender services were lifted, and Skelly helped oversee the restoration of inclusive policies. But she says the far right quickly recognized the political utility of having transgender people as a rallying point. “They decided that transgender people were going to be ‘other,'” she explained. “They are now using the smallest and most vulnerable groups to destroy the norms that protect everyone.”
personal flashpoint
The targeting became personal in September 2023, when Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert misgendered Skelly and mocked her identity during House debate on a defense spending bill. Boebert called Skelly a “delusional man who thinks he’s a woman” and proposed an amendment that would lower her salary to $1. This statement drew condemnation from the Democratic Party. LGBTQ+ Supporters nationwide.
Related: Lauren Boebert comes under fire for transphobic comments about Pentagon employees
“For a member of Congress to so casually verbally disparage a Senate-confirmed official for simply existing is already a crack in the code of respect,” Skelly said, recalling the incident. “It wasn’t just about me. It was important to be able to tolerate attacks like that.”
“Department of War”
Now, similar attitudes are being seen at the top of the chain of command. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host who was recently appointed by President Trump, ordered all military personnel to watch or read a 45-minute speech he gave on September 30 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. In his speech, Hegseth emphasized that the Department of Defense would be renamed the Department of the Army and that physical fitness standards for all military personnel would be raised.
According to internal communications and reports: defenderthe order required all active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel to view the speech and review the 23-page policy memorandum addressing grooming standards, gender expression, and military readiness by Oct. 31.
“It’s historic in its authoritarian aspects. Forcing a political message on hundreds of thousands of people as an order conditions obedience,” Skelly said, calling the order an “absurd intrusion” that undermines the military’s tradition of political neutrality. “They are not just issuing orders, they are normalizing political control over non-political forces.”
Why transportation is important
Skelly said the Pentagon’s exclusion of transgender service members is aimed at erasing transgender people from one of America’s most respected institutions. “We cannot marginalize transgender people if we allow them to work in America’s most respected institutions,” she said. “If we’re good enough to wear the uniform and protect our country, why can’t people like us vote, get health care, and educate our children?”
That’s why the government’s efforts to purge transgender soldiers have become a central political project, she said. “To allow us to serve them well would undermine their entire case,” she said.
RELATED: Biden to appoint transgender, lesbian officials to Pentagon
Citing the examples of Japanese Americans who served in World War II and the Tuskegee Airmen, Skelly contrasted the current exclusion of transgender service members with earlier moments in U.S. history when marginalized groups fought for their country while being denied basic rights. “People have always served this country, even when they have been denied their rights,” she said, hinting at the irony of banning transgender services entirely. “They believed in what America would become.”
preparation and maintenance
Skelly also pointed out that politicizing the military and marginalizing LGBTQ+ individuals and their families is not only a human rights issue, but also undermines national security.
“The U.S. military certainly needs elite athletes, but it also needs cyber experts, engineers, and satellite experts,” she said, referring to Hegseth’s new policy, which includes requirements for physical fitness standards. “When you call someone fat, stupid, or dishonest, people leave. You lose the experience you need to fight and win.”
call for resistance
The “No Kings” protests, which signify a declaration that there are no leaders above the people, come at a critical moment. For Skelly, whose advocacy is rooted in civic duty, this is more than just a rally, it’s a test of citizens’ willingness to defend democracy itself.
“This is not a march for the sake of marching, this is drawing the line,” she said. “They are deciding who is good enough to be a public servant, who is good enough to be considered an American, and which Americans get services from the government. This is an attack on the very concept of government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
After a long silence, she added quietly. “This won’t stop unless the American people demand it. Transgender people are the canary in the coal mine, but the air is getting thinner for everyone.”
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
