“I was in disbelief that this was happening, and when I raised concerns, I felt they were minimized or ignored.”
By Arin Waller Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Dr. Mary Brinkmeyer resigned from her job as a psychologist for the Department of Veterans Affairs after a sweeping executive order issued by President Donald Trump eliminated federal recognition of transgender and nonbinary identities.
The mandate that federal agencies purge any practices promoting “gender ideology” made it no longer possible for Dr. Brinkmeyer to care for trans, nonbinary, and other LGBTQ+ veterans, leading her to resign in protest.
Dr. Brinkmeyer received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Florida in 2006. She started her career in 2008 at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) and has worked with veterans and military personnel ever since. Among her achievements was establishing the first military support group for transgender military members. In 2016, she was named Navy Psychology Civilian Psychologist of the Year.
She served as the NMCP’s Associate Training Director from 2015 until her June 2022 appointment to the Hampton VA Medical Center as the LGBTQ+ veteran care coordinator and behavioral health interdisciplinary program psychology program manager.
Because of her clinical work and research into transgender mental health issues, Trump’s executive order deeply upset her.
“The VA put out a statement saying things should stay the same during the review period, but that’s not what’s happening,” Brinkmeyer told Advocate. “Staff were told to start identifying anything in medical records, training materials, or patient resources that could be considered ‘gender ideology.’”
“Transgender patients are terrified of losing their medical care,” she added. “Many rely entirely on the VA and don’t have alternative options.”
Dr. Brinkmeyer said frustrations arose when the Hampton VA administration began ordering the removal of all LGBTQ+-affirming materials from public areas and private workspaces. Clinicians allegedly reported that their offices were inspected to confirm they complied.
“Without consulting me, the director of my mental health department ordered that every single gender-affirming sign, poster, flyer, and brochure be taken down,” she said. “That included banners we had obtained through grant funding to create a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ veterans… It sent a clear message to LGBTQ+ veterans that they are no longer welcome.”
Though Dr. Brinkmeyer held a supervisor role at Hampton and was expected to enforce these new restrictions, she refused.
“I would not tell anyone to take things out of their offices — I refused to remove anything from mine. They took my magnet off my door, and I put it right back up.”
Dr. Brinkmeyer confronted her supervisor, too.
“In our morning supervisor huddle, I said, ‘For the record, this shouldn’t have happened, and I’m not taking anything out of my office. I’m not telling anyone to remove anything from theirs. If someone wants me to take something down, they need to put it in writing so I can refuse in writing.”
The director ultimately dismissed her concerns, reasoning that whether anyone agrees or disagrees with these policies, the hospital is simply following orders and that no real harm is being done.
Dr. Brinkmeyer reached her breaking point upon learning of the hospital administration’s apathy, arguing that this is a real issue with real damaging effects.
“By Friday, veterans had already heard about what was happening, and one of my patients asked me directly why the VA was doing this,” she said.
She ultimately decided to resign.
“I was in disbelief that this was happening, and when I raised concerns, I felt they were minimized or ignored,” she said. “I didn’t want to be complicit in something that I knew was wrong.”
She had initially planned to transition into another job in May, but the enforcement of these directives moved her departure to February 12th.
Brinkmeyer was sad to leave her colleagues behind but knew she couldn’t keep providing her patients with what she felt was “false reassurance.” She is especially concerned about having to leave the interns behind without proper guidance.
“I had created this LGBTQ+ rotation for interns and one for our practicum students. I had planned to get my interns through their rotations, but the way things unfolded, I had to leave earlier than expected. It was heartbreaking knowing they were going to be left without the guidance and training they signed up for.”
It is reported that Dr. Brinkmeyer will continue practicing medicine at an affirming private practice. She urges providers to keep serving veterans as best they can and encourages veterans to establish contingency plans by seeking care through other parties, including Planned Parenthood, online providers, or other community-based clinics.
“Don’t ask permission — just keep doing what you know is right until you’re told otherwise, and if you are told otherwise, get it in writing,” she advised. “What happens in the therapy room is between you and your veteran.”
Originally published by LGBTQNation — https://www.lgbtqnation.com/
Victoria Crenshaw