King County Sheriff's Office welcomes transgender service members barred by Trump

When President Trump tweeted that the government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in the military, King County Sheriff John Urquhart was offended.

“I don't think it's the right thing to do, I don't think it's fair. I've got transgender people that are serving in the sheriff's office right now and they do a fantastic job,” Urquhart said during an interview in his office.

Urquhart is thinking of officers like the former Melissa Deer, a 19-year veteran, who became Jaime Deer in the last year.

“For the most part my co-workers have been great and like they said, you're still the same person,” Deer told KIRO-7’s Gary Horcher.

Now Sheriff Urquhart said he'll welcome applications from transgender people forced to leave the military.

“They've got a home here, I'd love to have them come work for me. At least they'd have a boss that understands what's going on. They get an extra 10 percent on their civil service test coming out of the military, so we're open, apply,” Urquhart said. “That's the kind of person I want, that understands the spirit of service and is now willing to come and serve their community, and I'm more than willing to give them an opportunity to do that.”

Deer said he feels pain for transgender service members but said not to stay discouraged.

“It's not the end of the world. I found a great job in the sheriff's department. Sheriff's department's hiring and they have no problems hiring transgender individuals.”

According to King County, sheriff’s deputies start at about $62,000 a year.

Cox Media Group