Transgender U.S. Army pilot faces backlash for stance against ‘pro-trans’ issues

Virginia Army National Guard pilot Jo Ellis isn't hiding who she is, even if speaking openly makes the transgender woman a target once again. Her beliefs include that gender dysphoria is a mental illness, that transgender women should face some restrictions in women’s sports, and that gender-affirming health care for minors warrants greater caution.Those positions have drawn sharp criticism from Instagram followers and an outspoken transgender veteran, who said, “She’s fueling the fire that will ultimately consume her along with the rest of the trans community.”Ellis, who started her gender transition in 2023, first made headlines in January 2025 when a right-wing influencer falsely claimed on social media that she deliberately crashed a military helicopter into a passenger jet because of “depression” and “Gender Dysphoria.” The deadly collision between American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft.As The Advocate reported, Ellis was not involved. She posted a statement to that effect online and subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court in Colorado in April 2025. That case is proceeding after a magistrate judge recommended denying Matt Wallace’s motion to dismiss.Being pulled into the right-wing media machine that turns trans people into scapegoats for violence and tragedy brought Ellis nearly 20,000 new followers across her platforms. Many have since been surprised to discover that some of Ellis’s views diverge sharply from those held by many other transgender Americans.Related: Meet the trans Black Hawk pilot suing after being falsely accused of role in deadly D.C. crashTaking a stand against “pro-trans” positions“I struggle with being idolized as some sort of figure that I never asked to be,” Ellis told The Advocate in an exclusive interview Monday, her first since taking her public stand