The United States military has announced that transgender service members will be removed unless they obtain a waiver, marking a shift in policy under President Donald Trump’s administration.
A newly revealed Pentagon memo, made public on February 26 as part of a court filing, outlines the policy, which follows Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting transgender military service.
According to the document, “service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service.”
However, some troops may be eligible for a waiver, but only if a “compelling government interest” justifies their continued service.
To qualify, they must have never attempted to transition and must demonstrate “36 consecutive months of stability in the service member’s sex without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.”
Meanwhile, another memo issued earlier this month already prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting in the military.
It also halted gender transition treatments for those currently serving.
The latest directive reinforces these restrictions by stating that applicants with a history of gender dysphoria, cross-sex hormone therapy, or sex reassignment surgery are disqualified from military service.
Despite these restrictions, disqualified individuals may still apply for a waiver, but they must prove they are “willing and able to adhere to all applicable standards, including the standards associated with the applicant’s sex.”
This policy reversal highlights a dramatic shift in the military’s stance on transgender service members, which has fluctuated between different administrations.
The U.S. military had initially lifted its ban on transgender troops in 2016 during President Barack Obama’s tenure, allowing those already serving to do so openly.
Under this policy, transgender recruits were set to be accepted by mid-2017.
However, the Trump administration delayed the implementation and eventually moved to reverse the policy entirely.
Trump’s restrictions on transgender military service faced numerous legal challenges, eventually reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.
After a prolonged legal battle, the policy officially took effect in April 2019.
However, once Joe Biden assumed office in 2021, he swiftly overturned Trump’s restrictions, stating that all qualified Americans should have the right to serve in the military regardless of gender identity.
Trump’s return to office in January brought another reversal.
His recent executive order reinforced a stricter stance on transgender military service, stating, “Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
While the new policy aims to align military standards with Trump’s views on gender identity, it raises concerns about the impact on transgender service members.
