Pentagon has ordered all transgender service members from the U.S. military to be removed, according to a newly issued memo, unless they obtain a waiver proving their fitness to serve the force. The memo, filed late Wednesday, mentions that people with a current diagnosis, history, or symptoms of gender dysphoria are no longer eligible for military service.
Referencing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February, the memo clearly notes that “the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”
Transgender Free Military Force
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The memo directs the Pentagon to identify transgender service members within 30 days and discharge them through honorable separation within the following 30 days. “Service members being processed for separation in accordance with this policy will be afforded all statutorily required rights and benefits,” the memo notes.
Waivers will be evaluated individually, requiring a “compelling government interest” to retain service members who “directly support war fighting capabilities” and meet the standards of their biological sex.
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To qualify, service members must demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability in their sex and must never have attempted a physical transition.
During his first term in 2017, Trump implemented a similar ban on transgender military personnel, later introducing a stricter version in 2018.
Former Defense Secretary James Mattis tried to slow the policy’s implementation during Trump’s first term, causing delays.
After taking office in January 2021, President Biden overturned the ban, with the military shifting to openly recognize and honor the service of transgender personnel under his administration.
In July 2023, Maj. Rachel Jones was publicly acknowledged by the military for coming out as a transgender woman. “Her journey from battling depression & suicidal thoughts to embracing authenticity inspires us all,” the Department of Defense noted on social media.
Trump’s Strict Rule
Upon returning to the Oval Office, Trump acted swiftly to reinstate a stricter ban on transgender service members. Current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems more inclined to promptly enforce Trump’s directives.
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The memo notes that the Department of Defense will recognize only two sexes.
“The Department only recognizes two sexes: male and female. An individual’s sex is immutable, unchanging during a person’s life,’ the memo notes citing Trump’s executive order that noted the ‘immutable biological classification as either male or female.”
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According to the memo, all military personnel must adhere to standards, requirements, and policies based on their biological sex. It also mandates that only two pronouns—”sir” or “ma’am”—will be used within the military.
Additional directives include ensuring that male and female service members do not share sleeping, changing, or bathing areas designated for the opposite sex.
The memo further states that Pentagon funds will not be allocated for sex reassignment surgery, genital reconstruction procedures, or cross-sex hormone therapy for service members or their families.
