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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has initiated another attempt to remove all transgender individuals from military service, which is expected to face significant legal challenges.
Despite impacting only a small segment of the 2.1 million service members in the U.S. military, this issue has gained considerable attention from Trump and his administration, who view transgender service members as emblematic of a military that is perceived as ‘woke’ and unfocused on core objectives such as training and combat readiness.
Prior to his appointment, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed in his book, “War on Warriors,” his belief that allowing transgender individuals in the military poses risks to national security and readiness.
Trump’s newly issued order, released late Monday night, sparked widespread condemnation from various activist groups, which argue that the ban is harmful to military effectiveness, pointing out that transgender personnel have served competently for years, some openly for up to a decade.
This article examines the implications of the order and the ongoing discord surrounding the transgender military service ban over the last decade.
What does the order entail?
The recent directive stipulates that individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria — a condition where one’s gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth — are ineligible for military service.
The order grants the defense secretary 60 days to amend the medical standards for both new enlistments and re-enlistments. Additionally, it affords Hegseth 30 days to devise an implementation strategy.
The document asserts that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.” It further claims that the medical requirements associated with transitioning, such as hormone treatments and surgeries, conflict with a service member’s commitment to maintaining a disciplined military lifestyle.
It concludes with a statement that a man’s declaration of being a woman and the demand for others to validate this claim contradicts the values of humility and selflessness expected of service members.
The order also addresses the contentious issue of facilities based on biological sex.
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order aimed at reinstating “biological truth” within the federal domain, directing that the term “gender” be replaced with “sex.” According to this newer mandate, military policies will prohibit individuals from using or sharing facilities such as sleeping quarters, changing areas, or bathrooms designated for the opposite biological sex.
So, what happens next?
The Pentagon has publicly stated that tracking the accurate number of transgender service members is virtually impossible due to medical privacy regulations.
Estimates suggest that there are between 9,000 and 12,000 transgender troops, yet identifying them under current circumstances poses significant challenges, generating anxiety among service members who may fear attempts to expose their identities.
Sasha Buchert, a legal counsel for Lambda Legal, noted that “This casts an enormous shadow” over those preparing for deployments and combat assignments. She emphasized the fear and anxiety this policy creates for individuals who might find themselves watched or targeted.
As transgender individuals have been serving openly in recent years, some unit members or commanding officers may already know their identities, raising concerns about the possibility of retaliation, which echoes the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the Clinton era.
Looking back, this is not a new scenario.
The conversation regarding transgender military service began in earnest in 2015 when former Defense Secretary Ash Carter proposed lifting the ban on transgender troops, igniting considerable debate among military leaders. A study was instituted and, in June 2016, the ban was officially revoked.
However, just six months into his presidency, Trump unexpectedly declared via social media that transgender individuals would not be permitted to serve “in any capacity,” catching the Pentagon off guard and initiating a lengthy legal and policy battle.
By March 2019, following court rulings against the ban, the Pentagon outlined a policy that permitted existing members diagnosed with gender dysphoria to continue their medical transition while barring new enlistments for those individuals.
Furthermore, that policy mandated that anyone diagnosed must serve in their biological gender without access to hormones or transition surgeries.
Following President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, he promptly reversed Trump’s ban, and the Pentagon subsequently announced it would cover transition-related medical expenses for service members.
Military leadership indicated in 2018 that the integration of transgender individuals had, contrary to concerns, not resulted in problems for unit cohesion or discipline.
Former Navy chief Adm. John Richardson likened the situation to the inclusion of women on submarines, while then-Marine commandant Gen. Robert Neller stated that there were no significant issues arising from the integration.
Sarah Klimm, a transgender Marine veteran who served for 23 years, voiced her concerns about the potential removal of a significant number of service members during a recruitment period marked by difficulties.
Emily Shilling, an openly transgender commander in the Navy with extensive combat experience, expressed her desire to continue serving her country and emphasized her dedication, saying, “All I ask is the opportunity to keep using my training and experience to serve this country with honor, courage, and dedication.”
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