Transgender Service Members Could Be Removed From US Military. Here’s Why

Transgender members serving in the the US military will be separated unless they receive an exemption, Reuters reported, citing a Pentagon memo filed in court on Wednesday. The move, which will essentially ban transgender members from joining or serving in the US military, goes further than the restrictions placed on transgender service members under President Donald Trump’s first administration.

“Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” the memo states, according to CNN.

The memo, which was included in a court filing reportedly as part of an ongoing lawsuit over the Pentagon’s policy, further mentions: “The Department only recognises 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.”

Earlier this month, the US Army had announced that it will no longer allow transgender people to enlist in the military and will stop facilitating procedures related to gender transformation for service members.

In a statement shared on X, the US Army had said that the decision was effective immediately and that all new accessions for people with a history of gender dysphoria were stopped and all medical procedures related to facilitating or affirming a gender transition for service members were paused.

“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”, the US Army wrote in a series of posts on X.

The army’s announcement followed Trump’s earlier announcement that the US president – while aboard Air Force One enroute Washington from Floridaon January 27 – had “signed four executive orders that will reshape the military”, including banning transgender service members from serving in the US armed forces.

Notably, Wednesday’s memo, according to Reuters, expands the ban to currently serving members of the military.

During his first administration, Trump had banned transgender Americans from serving in the armed forces in 2017, CNN reported. The ban, however, was repealed  after former President Joe Biden issued an order to that efffect in 2021.

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