2017 was an arguably challenging year for transgender Americans. One month into office, U.S. President Donald Trump rescinded Obama-era protections for transgender youth in public schools.

Later in the year, he announced his administration would stop admitting transgender Americans into the military, in a move that surprised many, including top Defense Department officials. The courts have since blocked that decision.

Jennifer Williams is a transgender Republican activist. She's currently the head of the local Republican committee in her hometown. And was the first - and only -transgender delegate to the Republican national convention. CGTN's Roee Ruttenberg sat down with Williams and began by asking her to look back on the year and how it changed her.

JENNIFER WILLIAMS TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST "I knew that this year was going to be a year when I had to rise to the occasion. I needed to make some decisions on how I was going to either be a leader or be a follower. Because too many people in our country, particularly in conservative America, have never met an LGBT person, let alone someone who is transgender."

President Trump reversed an Obama-era guideline on transgender people serving in the military. How does that make you feel?

JENNIFER WILLIAMS TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST "I was furious. We can do the job just as well as anyone else. But when the President sent those tweets, it was hurt. It felt like someone took a 2x4 and hit me with it. As a transgender American, I felt less of an American that day. But what I thought would happen did happen. We have risen to the occasion. We fought back on it. We've introduced ourselves more to the American public, and the world. And many many people got to know that there were at least 7,500 transgender people already serving of harm's way."

What do you say to the critics who would ask: why do you fight so hard to defend a party that wouldn't necessarily fight to defend you?

JENNIFER WILLIAMS TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST "Not everyone believes in a party platform against LGBT people. Not everyone wants to support policies or even verbalize policies that discriminate against anyone. But what has happened is: we've let our party, the control of it, the apparatus, be taken by people who do not want to see liberty or freedom for LGBTQ people. But they only get that power if we give it to them."

And yet, some of the most horrible things said about transgender people at the moment are coming from Republicans. How do you change that?

JENNIFER WILLIAMS TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST "Well, what we have to do is get inside the spaces and talk to those people. Or talk to the staff. And be present."

What does 2018 looks like for you and for your community?

JENNIFER WILLIAMS TRANSGENDER REPUBLICAN ACTIVIST "It looks like a very busy year. We have to re-introduce ourselves, we have to introduce ourselves to members of the great American community we haven't done in the past. Harvey Milk famously once said to the community to make sure you come out, and come out to everyone you can because they are less likely to vote against you. We have to start doing that again, particularly for my transgender community, because we are the community that has so many myths out there. And if we don't stand up, if we don't become our best advocates, we're not going to change the game. And we have to change the game in 2018."