Julia Curlee, a transgender woman and CIA officer, worked on the President's Daily Brief during Trump's second term—one of the intelligence community's most demanding roles. She volunteered for the assignment despite Trump's hostile rhetoric toward the intelligence community, driven by her long-held dream of serving her country. On Trump's first day in office, he announced a policy recognizing only two genders. Curlee stayed at her post, told her team she wouldn't hide her identity, and continued her work. She'd come out as trans in 2013 after transitioning at work, and later published an essay under a pseudonym in The Atlantic about being openly trans at the CIA, which recruiters used to inspire new applicants. For two years she worked the night shift, traveling with the president to Mar-a-Lago and briefing senior officials. Her most significant assignment came when she was asked to brief Vice President Mike Pence—a man whose political career was built on opposing same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ rights. Curlee knew the optics looked bad and kept his identity secret from her community. But in their daily briefings, Pence treated her as a professional, pushing back on intelligence assessments and asking sharp questions. He valued her expertise enough to ask her to extend her tour. The relationship became genuinely collegial, not performative. By the end of her assignment, Pence invited her family to the White House. In his office, he held her mother's hand and said she must be proud of her daughter—a moment that carried weight given her mother's earlier grief over her transition. Curlee had achieved both her lifelong dreams: becoming a CIA officer and living as a woman. She gave Pence a letter on her last day revealing her full identity as a transgender CIA officer, wife, and mother who had served him directly.