Logan Ireland
Logan Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | Laila Villanueva |
| Occupation | soldier |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 2010–2025 |
| Rank | Master sergeant |
| Unit | Air Force Office of Special Investigations |
| Battles/wars | Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Freedom's Sentinel Operation Odyssey Dawn |
Logan Ireland is an American retired non-commissioned military officer who was a special agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He was featured in the 2018 documentary TransMilitary. Ireland was fired from the United States Air Force in 2025 following President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14183, which banned transgender people from military service.
Early life and education
[edit]Ireland grew up in Flower Mound, Texas. He is of Irish and Scottish descent.[1]
He has a bachelor's degree in sociology and master's degree in military studies with a dual concentration in strategic leadership and joint warfare.[2] He graduated from the United States Army Air Assault School.[2]
Career
[edit]Ireland enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2010.[3] He was eventually promoted to the rank of master sergeant.[4] He worked as a special agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in Hawaii, where he led over a dozen special agents throughout sixteen countries in conducting counterintelligence operations.[2][4] Ireland was deployed multiple times to Afghanistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and South Korea in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Freedom's Sentinel.[5][2]
Ireland is a mentor with the Future Warriors program for SPARTA, a nonprofit organization that fights for the rights of transgender military personnel and recruits.[4]
Forced retirement
[edit]In 2025, Ireland was fired from the military following President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14183 that banned transgender people from serving in the United States Armed Forces.[6][7] He was then denied his military retirement benefits as the Temporary Early Retirement Authority, under acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Brian Scarlett, denied all requests for personnel with fifteen to eighteen years of service.[5]
His retirement ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) in Hawaii in May 2026.[3]
Personal life
[edit]Ireland is married to Laila Villanueva, a trans woman and retired US Army combat medic.[1] They were featured in the 2018 documentary film TransMilitary.[1]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Transgender, at War and in Love | Himself | Documentary film | [8] |
| 2018 | TransMilitary | Himself | Documentary film | [1] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Anderson-Minshall, Diane (March 20, 2019). "Trump's Trans Military Ban Is No Match for Their Love". The Advocate. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Highlight: Logan Ireland". American Veterans for Equal Rights. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- 1 2 Wiggins, Christopher (June 22, 2026). "Forced by Trump to retire, a trans airman is 'passing the torch' to a firefighter waiting to serve". The Advocate. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 King, Trish (January 17, 2025). "Service Beyond Gender: The Fight to Serve and the Future of the Force". Modern Military Association of America. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- 1 2 Zaru, Deena (August 9, 2025). "'Betrayal': Transgender service member speaks out after being denied early retirement by Air Force". ABC News. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- ↑ Hodges, Lauren (September 8, 2025). "Pentagon told trans troops to get diagnosed. It's using the paper trail to kick them out". NPR. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- ↑ Robinson, Janiqua (August 22, 2025). "Transgender troops confront forced separations and eroding retirement rights". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- ↑ Dawson, Fiona (2015-06-04). "Opinion | 'Transgender, at War and in Love'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
External links
[edit]- Living people
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- American LGBTQ military personnel
- American military personnel discharged for being transgender
- American transgender men
- LGBTQ people from Texas
- Military personnel from Texas
- People from Flower Mound, Texas
- Transgender military personnel
- United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations
- United States Air Force non-commissioned officers
- United States Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)