The Trump Administration Wanted Her Expertise, Just Not Her
An interview with the transgender CIA analyst fired from Trump’s White House
Julia Curlee, a former CIA officer, served the United States for over 20 years in intelligence positions. She was drawn to public service as a young person, inspired by the protagonist of The Hunt for Red October. Joining the CIA fulfilled her childhood dream and allowed her to travel to 35 countries while briefing several presidents. However, she also had a second childhood dream of being true to herself. She transitioned in 2013, becoming the first CIA officer to do so openly while maintaining her service.
Despite her successful career, Julia left the White House in early 2025 without explanation. She returned to the CIA, but began to feel unsupported in the administration, which was openly hostile towards transgender individuals. In the Atlantic, Julia shared her full story for the first time, discussing how the intelligence community uses discretion to recruit candidates and how her experience as a transgender officer was affected by the political climate.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
