Defense Sec Halts Promotions + Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Service Members

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an immediate halt to gender-affirming care for transgender service members and paused promotions for those with a history of gender dysphoria (i.e. trans people). “Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for service members are paused,” reads a February 7 memo from Hegseth. In a footnote, he detailed that the immediate medical care restriction would not only include surgery but also “newly initiated” hormone therapy — although it wasn’t immediately clear what would constitute “newly initiated.” More from ABC News:

The memo came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 28 rescinding Biden administration policies that permitted transgender service members to serve openly in the military based on their gender identity.

The executive order is being challenged in federal court by prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including Human Rights Campaign, which filed a pair of lawsuits against the Trump administration on behalf of active-duty transgender service members.

In his February 7 memo, Hegseth ironically stated that “efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated.” It goes without saying that Hegseth is the one “splitting troops along lines of identity.” It’s worth noting that back in 2018 the American Medical Association wrote a letter to then-Defense Secretary James Mattis stating, “There is no medically valid reason — including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria — to exclude transgender individuals from military service.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has enacted one of the most sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ military policies in recent history.

[image or embed] — The Advocate (@advocate.com) February 11, 2025 at 9:07 AM