Pentagon directs removal of trans service members from military

The Pentagon has directed that service members and recruits with gender dysphoria be separated from the U.S. military in accordance with an executive order issued a month ago by President Trump.

A memo made public on Wednesday from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office said service members or applicants for military service who have “a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria” are “incompatible with military service.”

The move comes after the president issued a Jan. 27 executive order ordering the policy change and identifying gender dysphoria incompatible with “high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity.”

The Pentagon’s policy directive calls for establishing procedures to identify service members with gender dysphoria or a history of it within 30 days to “begin separation actions.” It said that exceptions could be made on a case-by-case basis if the government deems an “interest in accessing the applicant that directly supports warfighting capabilities” or if a service member demonstrates 36 consecutive months of “stability” in their sex “without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning …”

In a statement sent to NPR, SPARTA, an advocacy group for transgender service members and veterans, said that trans soldiers have served “openly and honorably” in the U.S. armed forces for nearly a decade.

“Thousands of transgender troops are currently serving, and are fully qualified for the positions in which they serve,” the statement said. “No policy will ever erase transgender Americans’ contribution to history, warfighting, or military excellence.”

The Pentagon memo further states that “The Department only recognizes two sexes: male and female. An individual’s sex is immutable, unchanging during a person’s life.” It also says: “Pronoun usage when referring to Service members must reflect a Service member’s sex. In keeping with good order and discipline, salutations (e.g., addressing a senior officer as “Sir” or “Ma’am”) must also reflect an individual’s sex.”

Last month’s executive order from the White House came as no surprise given that Trump issued a series of tweets in 2017, during his first term, effectively banning transgender people from serving in the military. That policy was subsequently reversed by the Biden administration. Trump had also repeatedly spoken of his plans to restore the ban on trans service members on the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 election.

There are about 1.3 million military service personnel. Although exact figures of trans people serving aren’t known, Palm Center, a research institute that focused on studying and advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion within the U.S. military, estimated in 2018 that the figure was about 14,700.

In response to the Pentagon’s plan, a coalition of 21 attorneys general from across the country filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Wednesday to block implementation of the ban, which New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a statement, said “cruelly targets the transgender Americans who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedoms.”

“I want all transgender service members and veterans to know that we see you, we respect you, and we will always fight for you. Your service is invaluable, and we will not allow this bigoted attack to diminish your service to our country,” James said.

In addition to New York, attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin signed on to the brief.