Clayton McCallister looks every bit the part of an elite fighter in the making. The close-cropped hair, the carved physique, the unshakable poise of a man who belongs in uniform. But beneath the surface of this U.S. Air Force recruit is a story of determination that defies the simplistic narratives often forced upon those like him. As a husband, a father, and a man of discipline, McCallister’s journey to serve his country has been less about breaking barriers than simply refusing to let them stop him.
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McCallister is one of 32 plaintiffs in Talbott v. Trump, one of two cases challenging President Donald Trump’s second attempt to ban transgender people from military service. On March 18, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction against the ban, ruling it was likely unconstitutional and based on pretext and animus. The victory was hard-fought, and for McCallister, it was deeply personal.
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“I’ve trained for this. I’ve met every standard. I’ve proven that I can do this job. And yet I still have to fight just for the chance to serve my country,” McCallister told The Advocate the day after the ruling. “I refuse to let anyone tell me I can’t serve just because of who I am.”
The making of a warrior
For McCallister, the desire to serve had been simmering long before he was entirely sure of who he was. Now 24 years old, he grew up in a small Tennessee town, where he saw the military as an escape, an opportunity for something greater than himself. But even as a child, he says he sensed something was misaligned between his body and who he knew himself to be. He couldn’t put words to it at first — only that he didn’t feel at home with the expectations placed on him. That feeling lingered through adolescence, into college, and beyond. The military remained a distant dream while he pursued other paths. He earned a degree in animal science, spent a semester in ROTC, and spent some years exploring different careers. Something was missing.
Then, in a hot tub in Mexico on his honeymoon, his wife asked him the question that would change everything: “Do you think you might be trans?”
“I think I might be,” he replied.
Related: Pentagon says it will start kicking transgender people out of military this month
For the first time, there was clarity. That moment led to deeper conversations, therapy, and, eventually, his transition. Accessing gender-affirming care, he said, was life-changing — not just in how he saw himself but in how he moved through the world.
“It allowed me to be the person I was always meant to be,” he explained. And once he embraced himself, the old dream — the military — became more than an idle wish. “Once I figured myself out, I realized, This is what I want. This is what I’m meant to do,” he said.
Clayton McCallister with his wife and daughter.Courtesy Clayton McCallister
After years of preparation, by January, he had secured a spot in Special Warfare Operator Enlistment to train for pararescue, a physically punishing field that demands its recruits endure water rescues, overland extractions, and high-altitude parachuting into combat zones. “Not many people can meet these standards or want to subject themselves to the harsh conditions it requires,” McCallister said. But he was one of the few who could.
Related: Federal judge will hear last-minute Trump admin request to undo block on trans military ban
For the young man brimming with dedication, the challenge wasn’t just about proving himself — it was about the opportunity to help others. “When I first tried to enlist, I had a hard time getting recruiters to even call me back after I told them my situation,” he said. “I knew I wanted to serve but didn’t know exactly where I fit.” After struggling to find a recruiter who would take him seriously, he knocked on the door of a local Air Force recruiter and laid it all out: “I want to sign up. This is my situation. Are you willing to help me?” The recruiter agreed, and as they went over job lists, McCallister found himself drawn to the medical field.
Then came a suggestion that changed everything. “My recruiter asked me if I’d ever thought about special warfare,” he recalled. “I hadn’t. But when I looked into it, I thought, man, this looks awesome. It’s in the medical field, it’s challenging, and it’s super competitive — just the kind of thing I thrive on.”
With an 80 percent attrition rate, SWOE is one of the toughest pipelines in the Air Force.
More than an airman
In the popular imagination, those who pursue careers in elite military units are defined by their service. In addition to being an Air Force recruit, McCallister is a husband, a father, and an adventurer. When he’s not training, he fills his time with the things that bring him joy. He and his wife, who will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary in May, are avid travelers. They’ve visited nearly 20 countries and are just shy of visiting all 50 U.S. states. Their love of travel isn’t just about collecting passport stamps — it’s about experience, about immersion in something greater than themselves.
Related: DOJ appeals block on Pentagon’s transgender military ban
“I love seeing new places, being in environments that push me out of my comfort zone,” he said. That same drive fuels his love of snowboarding, a sport that rewards those who embrace risk, fall hard, and get back up, much like his military training. “It’s about challenging myself, seeing what I can do.”
His daily routine is punctuated by discipline. Hours in the gym are not just a requirement for his military aspirations but a personal passion. “I work out because I love it,” he said. “It’s part of who I am.”
But at home, he is simply a dad. His 2-year-old daughter, adopted after a long and complicated process, has changed his perspective on everything. “She’s wild and full of life,” he said. “Everything I do is for her.” In the evenings, he is no longer the soldier in waiting, the man locked in a political battle he never wanted. He is the father making dinner, playing with his child, and unwinding on the couch with his wife. “That’s what life’s about.”
A dream deferred, a fight begun
When he came out as trans to his fellow trainees preparing for enlistment, their reaction wasn’t what he feared — it was disbelief that his identity could disqualify him. “My buddies were like, ‘That’s crazy. You come out here, and your fitness levels are better than ours. We ask you for tips all the time,’” McCallister recalled.
Related: Judge reinstates nationwide stop to Trump’s trans military ban
Trump’s order blocking his enlistment was signed under the banner of military “readiness.” But the court saw it differently. Judge Ana Reyes called it “soaked in animus and dripping with pretext.” The ruling came down quietly on a Tuesday. But the week before, McCallister had been in the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse, standing shoulder to shoulder with other transgender service members fighting for their right to serve. It was the first time The Advocate met him, and throughout that long day, he remained stone-faced, his expression unreadable as he sat through hours of legal arguments that would determine his future. After a lunch break, when others took the elevator, he and his fellow plaintiffs climbed the four stories of the courthouse stairs to get back to Courtroom 12. It was, in its own way, a statement. He walked through the halls proudly, chest out, shoulders back — a man determined to claim his place in the service he had fought so hard to join.
Clayto9n McCallister with his daughter and with his wife.Courtesy Clayton McCallister
But by Wednesday, when McCallister spoke with The Advocate, his serious demeanor gave way. His face softened, his voice steadier, lighter. Smiles replaced the tension that had defined the previous encounter. Pride, long tamped down by the weight of uncertainty, reemerged. This fight wasn’t over, but McCallister believed in victory for the first time in a long time. He had already quit his job to prepare for his military career. He had done the work and made the sacrifices. And yet, because of one executive order, everything was on hold.
Related: Trump administration admits to judge it doesn’t know how many troops are trans—or why it’s banning them
His visibility is not by choice but by necessity. “I want people to see that we’re just like anyone else,” he said. “This is one small thing about me, but it’s not all of me. I’m a father, a husband, a guy who loves snowboarding and traveling. I just happen to be trans.”
What this future airman wants people to know about folks like him
McCallister says he has no interest in being a symbol. He is not fighting for a headline but a uniform and a future where people like him don’t have to justify their existence. “We’re not asking for special treatment,” he said. “We’re asking to be judged by our actions, commitment, and ability to serve, just like everyone else.”
Still, he recognizes the gravity of what had happened in that courtroom. “It was empowering, to be honest,” he said. “At a time when there are so many politicians who stand up at podiums and say degrading things, who try to knock us down at every turn, to have someone with that much power call out the bigotry for what it is — it meant something.” McCallister took pride in the fact that, for once, a person in power had seen through the government’s attempts to justify discrimination and instead affirmed the humanity of people like him. “I also appreciated her remarks about the suicide rates. People think that has something to do with our mental stability, but it’s not that. It’s because we are discriminated against at this level, day in and day out.”
He found solace in seeing the judge demand facts from the government attorneys — facts they failed to provide. “She asked them several times, ‘Give me something,’ and they had nothing. That tells you everything you need to know.”
For now, he waits. The legal battle is not yet over. The DOJ has appealed the district court’s ruling. But McCallister’s path forward is clear. He will keep training. He will keep pushing. And when the doors finally open, he will be ready. “I want to tell my daughter that I had to jump through hoops. I had to push against a system that didn’t want me there,” he said. “But I refused to walk away. One day, I want to look back and say I won that fight. I don’t want to ever look back and tell her I just gave up.”
Clayton McCallister with his wife and daughter.Courtesy Clayton McCallister
Clayto9n McCallister with his daughter and with his wife.Courtesy Clayton McCallister
