Pentagon Orders Identification and Removal of Transgender Military Personnel

Stricter Ban on Transgender Troops Moves Forward

Transgender service members in the U.S. military will face separation unless granted an exemption, according to a Pentagon memo filed in court on Wednesday. The policy follows an executive order signed by Donald Trump in January, effectively barring transgender individuals from serving.

Mandatory Identification and Separation Process

The memo instructs the Pentagon to establish a procedure within 30 days to identify transgender personnel, followed by an additional 30 days to begin their removal. It states that military service should uphold “readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity,” asserting that gender dysphoria is inconsistent with these standards.

While transgender troops are not required to self-identify, the memo suggests a systematic approach to determining service members who fall under the policy.

Limited Waivers for Retention

The Pentagon stated that exemptions would be granted only in cases where there is a “compelling government interest” in retaining a service member who directly contributes to military operations. Troops must also demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability in their gender without clinically significant distress to qualify for a waiver.

Impact on Transgender Service Members

Advocates estimate that up to 15,000 transgender individuals serve in the U.S. military, though official numbers suggest the figure is in the low thousands. The new policy marks a significant escalation from Trump’s previous restrictions on transgender troops during his first administration.

Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) called the move “a complete purge of all transgender individuals from military service,” describing it as unprecedented in scope.

Legal Challenges and Opposition

The memo was filed in court as part of a lawsuit led by NCLR and GLAD Law, which argues that the ban violates the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Despite the ban, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that transgender individuals currently in the military would still be “treated with dignity and respect.” However, with the new policy in place, many transgender service members may now face forced separation from the armed forces.