Trans Rioter: Bullying Turned Me Into An Oath Keeper

Law & Crime reports:

Surprising a federal judge with her 11th hour decision to testify, transgender Oath Keeper Jessica Watkins told jurors about the bullying and abandonment she faced over her identity. When her secret got out, Watkins said, she was shunned by her parents, went “AWOL” from the Army, and ultimately found a homecoming both with her family and a paramilitary group whose leadership is now on trial for seditious conspiracy.

Watkins received an “other than honorable” discharge from the U.S. Army when she absented herself without leave to Alaska. She had lived and presented as a man during the time of her service, and she said a member of her unit learned about her identity when he borrowed her laptop. “I know who you are, faggot,” she recounted the soldier saying, imitating the man pointing his finger.

Read the full article. The jury was then shown video of Watkins herself calling members of the Capitol Police “faggots,” which she attributed to deeply ingrained self-loathing. Last February, Watkins sought pre-trial release, saying that she feared her treatment by fellow prisoners. Watkins in the past has threatened “class action” lawsuits against critics of the Oath Keepers.