Pentagon to Begin Removal of Transgender Troops in 30 Days Under Trump’s Executive Order
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it would begin removing transgender personnel from the U.S. military within 30 days unless they receive a waiver, following President Donald Trump’s January executive order aimed at barring military service by transgender individuals.
According to a memo made public as part of a court filing in a case challenging the executive order, service members diagnosed with or exhibiting symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service. The memo stipulates that these individuals may be considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, but only if there is a compelling government interest directly related to supporting warfighting capabilities.
To qualify for a waiver, transgender troops must demonstrate they have never attempted to transition and show a “36 consecutive months of stability” in their service without clinically significant distress or impairment in key areas such as social or occupational functioning.
The announcement is the latest in a series of policy changes regarding transgender military service, which has fluctuated dramatically in recent years. Under the Obama administration, the U.S. military lifted the ban on transgender troops in 2016, allowing them to serve openly. Transgender recruits were set to be accepted by July 1, 2017, but the Trump administration delayed this and ultimately reversed the policy altogether.
Trump’s restrictions, which faced multiple legal challenges, were implemented in April 2019, following a lengthy battle that reached the Supreme Court. However, his Democratic successor, Joe Biden, reversed the restrictions immediately upon taking office in 2021, emphasizing that all Americans qualified to serve should have the opportunity to do so.
In January, Trump reasserted his position with another executive order targeting transgender military service, stating that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
The issue of transgender rights has become a contentious political issue in the U.S., with states led by both Democrats and Republicans enacting opposing policies on topics ranging from medical treatments to educational materials related to transgender issues.
