Pentagon to Discharge Transgender Troops Under New Trump Order
By SpringsNewsNG | February 27, 2025
The United States military will begin discharging transgender service members within 30 days unless they obtain a waiver, according to a Pentagon memo released Wednesday.
The directive follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in late January, reinstating a ban on transgender personnel serving in the armed forces.
“Service members with a current diagnosis of gender dysphoria or a history of transitioning will be processed for separation from military service,” the memo stated. However, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis if there is a “compelling government interest” in retaining a service member for critical warfighting capabilities.
To qualify for a waiver, individuals must demonstrate that they have never attempted to transition and have maintained “36 consecutive months of stability in their biological sex without clinically significant distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning.”
The policy marks another shift in the ongoing debate over transgender service in the U.S. military. Under President Barack Obama, the military lifted its ban on transgender troops in 2016, allowing them to serve openly. The Trump administration later sought to reverse that policy, implementing restrictions in 2019 after a lengthy court battle.
President Joe Biden rescinded those restrictions upon taking office in 2021, restoring full rights for transgender individuals to serve. However, Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025 has brought another reversal, with the administration arguing that gender identity conflicts with the military’s rigorous standards.
“Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” Trump’s executive order stated.
Transgender rights have become a polarizing issue in U.S. politics, with states taking opposing stances on medical treatments and LGBTQ+ policies in schools. The new military directive is expected to face legal challenges from advocacy groups defending transgender rights in the armed forces.
AFP
