The Pentagon announced in a memo that transgender service members will be removed from the military unless they secure a waiver on a case-by-case basis.
This memo was made public through a court filing related to a legal challenge against President Donald Trump’s executive order from late January, which aimed to prohibit military service for transgender individuals.
The memo stated, “Service members who have a current diagnosis, history of, or show symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service.”
It further noted that these individuals could be “considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities.”
Earlier this month, another Pentagon memo prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting in the military and halted gender transition treatments for current personnel.
Additionally, the most recent memo indicates that “applicants for military service…who have a current diagnosis, history of, or show symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria are disqualified for military service,” along with those who have “a history of cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment or genital reconstruction surgery as treatment for gender dysphoria.”
Changes in US policies regarding transgender service members
Disqualified applicants may still obtain a waiver if there is a “compelling government interest” in their enlistment and they are “willing and able to adhere to all applicable standards, including those associated with the applicant’s sex.”
In recent years, transgender Americans have experienced fluctuating policies concerning military service, with Democratic administrations working to allow open service, while Donald Trump consistently sought to exclude them from the military.
In 2016, during Barack Obama’s second term as president, the US military lifted a ban on transgender service members.
This policy allowed existing transgender troops to serve openly and planned to start accepting transgender recruits by July 1, 2017.
However, under the first Trump administration, the implementation date was pushed to 2018, culminating in a decision to completely reverse the policy.
Trump’s controversial restrictions on transgender military service faced various legal challenges and were ultimately enforced in April 2019 after a lengthy court battle that reached the Supreme Court.
His successor, Joe Biden, acted swiftly to undo these restrictions just days after taking office in 2021, asserting that all Americans qualified to serve should be allowed to do so.
Upon returning to office in January, Trump issued an executive order targeting transgender troops once again, stating, “Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
Transgender issues have become a contentious topic in US politics recently, as states led by both Democrats and Republicans have enacted contrasting policies on matters ranging from medical treatment to the appropriateness of certain books in public or school libraries.
