Trans Man Reveals How Military Ban Could Derail His Life (Exclusive)

• In January, Guy Peña showcased his transition in a now-viral TikTok video. In his caption, the Texan stated, “I am a Proud Trans Man serving in the military, and I will NOT be erased!”
• Peña — who won the title of Mr. Trans Texas in 2024 — spoke to PEOPLE about his 19 years of experience in the military. He also shared how he’s been impacted by government threats to transgender service in the military.
• On Feb. 26, the Pentagon released its plan to identify and remove transgender service members from the military. The news has made Peña’s future in the service uncertain.

Guy Peña proudly served in the United States military during times when he had to hide himself and hide his truth.

Throughout all of his life’s uncertainties — including his coming out as a transgender man nearly two years ago — Peña fought for his country. Now, in an increasingly uncertain political climate for trans people, he asks only to keep his place in military history.

“My dad and all the men in my family, they’re all Marines. They all served. And growing up, I always wanted a set of dog tags. I always wanted to do that as well,” Peña, 38, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “Once I did, it’s a lifestyle. You sacrifice everything to serve your country, even to the point of who you are.”

The Texan man has spent 19 years of his life serving the U.S., and he was on active duty during the days of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that restricted members of the LGBTQ+ from speaking out about their identity; it went out of effect in 2011.

“I’ve been hiding who I really am for quite some time in the military … Honestly, it takes a huge toll on your mental state. Emotionally, mentally, it can be really hard,” he says. “I’ve been written up before for being gay. For a moment there, when I was in Korea, I had to have a fake boyfriend who was also gay.”

Peña — who is currently home after a rotation on the border — continues, “It was hard, having to hide who you really are and be this person that everybody else wants you to be, but you know darn well that you’re not.”

After divorcing his ex-wife, Peña came out as transgender. He started taking testosterone and has his gender-affirming surgeries laid out for the future. “That’s if Texas and the federal government doesn’t try to put a ban on that too. So I’m trying to knock those out as soon as I can,” he adds.

Once Peña came out, he was grateful to be met with support from his command. They’ve had numerous conversations that have eased Peña’s worries about his decision to step into his true self.

“As scared as I’ve been, they’ve assured me that they’re going to do whatever they possibly can to make sure that they take care of me,” he explains to PEOPLE. “I’m pretty lucky to have a leadership team like that because I know not everybody does, especially those in active duty.”

He’s also been fortunate to have access to testosterone even while on active duty. Since Peña is part of the National Guard, he doesn’t rely on government healthcare, and he hasn’t had issues getting hormones from his own doctor. When he’s been in the field or training, he just carries his testosterone shots along and administers them himself.

However, he notes, that type of ease isn’t universal for all trans people serving in the military.

“I know a lot of people that are actually active duty still and who are transitioning. They’re pretty scared having to rely on the military’s healthcare, and then being denied that kind of stuff,” he adds. “So they’re trying to figure out themselves how they’re going to do that in the civilian world.”

Peña takes pride in his identity. He participated and won the 2024 Mr. Trans Texas pageant, and in January, he hopped on a viral trend and posted a TikTok to showcase his transition.

In the now-viral video with over 13,200 likes, he showed an old photo of himself at age 15 wearing a white gown set to Nine Days’ 2000 rock hit “Absolutely (Story of a Girl).” Audio halted with a record scratch, then the video flashed to Peña today, lip-syncing to a cover that changes the lyrics to “This is the story of a boy.”

“I am a Proud Trans Man serving in the military, and I will NOT be erased! 19 years of my life was given to my Country, I think I deserve to live my truth!” he captioned his TikTok post.

As he tells PEOPLE, Peña didn’t share the clip thinking it would blow up. He did it because he liked seeing other people’s “glow-ups” in other videos playing on the trend. He wanted to add his own “pretty dramatic transformation” to the mix.

“I was not expecting the amount of love and support that I have gotten even this far,” he says, adding that he’s heard from plenty of strangers who have messaged him to say things like, “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m doing this right now. I’m fighting for you. It’s our turn. Let us fight for you.”

Peña is majorly appreciative of the positive feedback he’s received on social media. “Especially being at the border alone, away from my family and everything, it really made me feel loved and seen,” he shares.

On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump reissued his first-term order that called to ban transgender people from serving or enlisting in the military. Several military leaders fought back, including Army Second Lieutenant Nicolas Talbott, filing a federal lawsuit challenging the decree.

On Feb. 26, the Pentagon released its plan to identify and remove transgender service members from the military.

A senior Defense Department official outlined the new policy in a memo, which reads, “Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” according to CNN.

Per the memorandum, service members with a “current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria” have 30 days to leave their service.

The White House did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment about the proposed trans-military ban after its initial release. A Defense Department spokesperson told PEOPLE, “At this time we are letting the memo speak for itself.”

After hearing news of the update, Peña realized how much of his future is up in the air. It was an emotional shock to the system, especially since he’s been waiting to see if he was going to serve another rotation at the border in just a few months.

“It’s a betrayal for me, because I’ve put so much time and effort, and I’ve made so many sacrifices in regards to missing family birthdays, family deaths, vacations and whatnot. I’ve put that all to the side to serve my country, and do what a lot of people can’t or will not do,” he tells PEOPLE. “And then here I am, I’m now fighting for my own rights to just be who I want to be.”

Ideally, he was hoping to retire soon with full veteran benefits, including pay, VA disability and home loans.

“It’s a slap in the face. It’s hurtful. And frankly, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me,” says Peña. “I don’t know if I’ll even make it to retirement because of what the Secretary of Defense is saying.”

Now more than ever, Peña’s TikTok caption — his desire not to be erased — rings all the more true.

“No matter what the government or anybody tries to do, we cannot be erased. We are human beings. We are people just trying to exist and who we are. We just want to live our authentic self,” Peña states.

“Just let us exist. Let us freaking live our lives and be happy and not trying to go back into hiding,” he continues. “As a veteran, I fought for everybody’s rights to be who they are and who they want to be. It’s hurtful when now they’re coming for my rights.”