Miriam Ben-Shalom
This content was last updated March 26, 2024, 9:18 p.m. UTC
Miriam Ben-Shalom is a self-identified trans-exclusionary radical feminist who gained political prominence when, in the 1970s, she was discharged from the military for being lesbian. She went on to become the first LGBTQ+ individual ever reinstated into the service.
In her time since serving, she initially focused her activism on opposing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policies in the U.S. military. Following the repeal of those policies, she pivoted towards opposing transgender rights, focusing specifically on anti-trans bathroom laws. Her views caused her removal as grand marshall of the 2016 Milwaukee Pride Parade.
She founded the organization Hands Across the Aisle Coalition, has worked with the Heritage Foundation, and has written for The Federalist. She has even appeared in Spain to oppose transgender rights.
The current law regarding bathrooms in Massachusetts, which allows transgender people to use opposite-sex private facilities, is not a matter of civil rights. It’s a matter of unspeakable oppression against females.
Education and Credentials
Ben-Shalom earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Soon after graduating, she enlisted in the U.S. army, graduating from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1974.
After being honorably discharged for being a lesbian, she protested “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policies for several years. In that time, she co-founded Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America, now known as the American Veterans for Equal Rights.
She is also an Israeli citizen, serving in the Israeli Army during the War of Attrition.
She is a recipient of the 2005 Stonewall Award.
Institutional and Ideological Affiliations
Ben-Shalom is a co-founder of the joint conservative and trans-exclusionary radical feminist group Hands Across The Aisle Coalition. This group is known for opposing transgender rights and for working with organizations like the Heritage Foundation and the Women’s Liberation Front.
She was also one of the founders of the Compassion Coalition blog, which specialized in opposing transgender rights.
Core Activism
Ben-Shalom’s primary work consists of public advocacy against transgender rights, voicing gender critical views on social media and in articles for conservative news outlets. Her views gained media attention in 2016 when she was ousted from her role as a grand marshal at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Pride Parade due to transphobic posts she made on social media.
Following this, she began to make appearances with conservative media. She was a guest at a Heritage Foundation talk about ‘Why Sex Matters in the Age of Gender Identity.’ The year after, she appeared as a speaker at a Spanish conservative event critical of gender identity.
She also authored an article critical of trans inclusion in bathrooms for The Federalist.
Legislative and Court Appearances
Ben-Shalom served as a witness for the Texas bill SB6, which required transgender people to use the bathroom that aligns with their birth certificate.