The Department of Defense issued its new military policy on Wednesday banning all transgender people who are living as themselves from joining or continuing to serve in the military. Under the policy, transgender U.S. service members will be separated from the military within the next two months unless they receive an exemption. The new rule goes further than the trans military ban Trump enacted during his first term. 
From ABC News:
According to the memo, the Pentagon must create a procedure to identify troops who are transgender by March 26 and orders that the separation of individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria must be completed by June 25.
Those to be separated from the military will include service members receiving some form of treatment or hormones for that diagnosis of gender dysphoria or who have gone through a gender-affirming surgery.
The service members who will be separated will receive honorable discharges unless their record indicates they should receive a lower-level discharge. Receiving an honorable discharge means they would be able to receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Overnight, the Dep’t of Defense, implementing Trump’s anti-transgender military executive order, issued a policy banning all trans people who are living as themselves from joining or continuing to serve in the military. What’s more, “separation actions” are to begin within the next two months.
[image or embed] — Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner.bsky.social) February 27, 2025 at 8:21 AM
The new policy will allow certain exemptions from separation or allow enlistment on a case-by-case basis separation if they can provide that “there is a compelling Government interest in retaining the Service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities.” Current service members can also apply for an exemption if: • They can prove that they have been stable in their sex (according to the Trump administration that would mean sex identified at birth) for 36 months “without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.” • That they never attempted to transition to another sex. • And will adhere to all standards for the service member’s sex. In other words, the “exception” only allows a person who has gender dysphoria to continue serving if the government makes the “compelling” interest finding and the person seeking to continue serving has never attempted to transition, is willing to live as their biological sex, and can show three years of “stability” living as that biological sex.
Transgender veteran Leila Ireland on Trump military ban: “With 73% of transgender personnel being senior enlisted leaders with extensive experience, immediately replacing that personnel or these personnel will cost billions and require up to 20 years to regain that experience.” pic.twitter.com/XJUPsQzrRl
— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) January 28, 2025
There are currently 4,240 active-duty, Guard and Reserve service members who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to a defense official. Since 2014, the total number of diagnoses for gender dysphoria was 5,773 with 1,000 of those having gone through gender-affirming surgery. There are about 2.1 million service members in the U.S. military — and about 1.3 million of them are on active duty. Text from the Defense Department memo:
“Military service by Service members and applicants for military service who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is incompatible with military service.”
“Service by these individuals is not in the best interests of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security.”
“Individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are no longer eligible for military service.”
“The Department only recognizes two sexes: male and female. An individual’s sex is immutable, unchanging during a person’s life. All Service members will only serve in accordance with their sex.”
We’ve interviewed a lot of trans service members. In all cases we reviewed, they were high performers and well-liked in their units. They just wanted to serve and were tired of being politicized. https://t.co/iF9jBydMvw https://t.co/AHUYmYgSNp
— Steve Beynon (@StevenBeynon) February 27, 2025
Transgender service members will be removed from the military unless they are granted a waiver, according to a memo the Pentagon filed in court late Wednesday.
The rule goes further than the trans military ban Trump enacted during his first term. https://t.co/yGUK613h5w — NBC Out (@NBCOUT) February 27, 2025
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