The United States military has announced it will no longer accept transgender people hoping to enlist, or facilitate gender affirmation procedures for active service members.The memo filed at the US District Court in Washington, DC, on Monday is the latest effort by the administration of President Donald Trump to roll back protections for transgender people.
“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in the memo, which was dated February 7.
“All unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused.”
The Trump administration has framed the restriction of transgender rights in the military as a necessary step in ensuring “military readiness”. It also has lambasted what it terms the promotion of “radical gender ideology” within the armed forces, part of its larger campaign against diversity initiatives. Advertisement
But critics say Monday’s memo and related measures are aimed at erasing transgender identity, perpetuating discrimination, and forcing transgender service members to live in secrecy and fear.
Advocates say as many as 15,000 transgender people currently serve in the US military, out of a population of 1.3 million active-duty service members.
An ongoing campaign
In the US, there is relatively widespread support for transgender soldiers and military members. The research firm Gallup …
