The Pentagon’s new memo specified a new policy for transgender US service members, following up on Donald Trump‘s executive order. The policy memo, which was included in the court filing on Wednesday, mentioned that transgender troops will be removed from the service with two exceptions. The memo specified that any member or recruit who has been treated for gender dysphoria or diagnosed with gender dysphoria will be dismissed from serving in the military unless they can prove that they meet the warfighting need and abide by regulations on their day-to-day behavior.
The Pentagon explained in the memo that if transgender military personnel who seek to remain in service can prove on a case-by-case basis that they fulfill warfighting needs, a waiver will be issued. The same rule will apply to personnel who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria: they will need to prove that they have never transitioned to the gender they currently identify with and that they can support warfighting needs. Additional rules will apply as they have to prove that for 36 months, they remain in stable condition as their gender assigned at birth. The memo emphasized “without clinically significant distress.”
However, even if the exemption is issued in accordance with the new policy, the personnel who seek to enlist will be assigned bathroom facilities and sleeping quarters according to their biological sex. In addition, only the applicant’s birth-assigned gender will be recognized for official purposes, such as addressing as “sir” or “ma’am.”
Pentagon’s new transgender in military memo was included in the Wednesday court filing in a lawsuit over Donald Trump‘s executive order. Upon taking over the White House, Trump has signed a bunch of new orders, sparking debate over many hot-button issues. Amongst tariffs and federal agency shutdown were his “transphobic” orders. Trump banned trans athletes from participating in women’s sports and also instructed the Pentagon to bar them from US service.
🚨🇺🇸PENTAGON ORDERS TRANSGENDER SERVICE MEMBERS IDENTIFIED & SEPARATED
A newly released DoD memo directs the U.S. military to identify all service members with gender dysphoria or those who have transitioned within 30 days.
Unless granted a waiver, they will be medically… pic.twitter.com/6B7EwKx8qX
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 27, 2025
As a result, a new memo was filed. Following in the footsteps of the president, the Pentagon reiterated its opinions on the matter. The military ethics “is inconsistent” with what transgender troops go through as they transition to the gender they identify with. The memo added that the integrity of the military mandates that gender is “immutable, unchanging during a person’s life.”
The gender dysphoria mentioned is when a person’s biological sex is different than the gender they identify with. Despite the small number of transgender troops, settling the new policy has taken a lot of attention from the Pentagon and the White House as well. Although the exact number of transgenders serving in the US military is not disclosed due to medical privacy laws, a 2018 study by the Palm Center worked on it. They researched various LGBTQ issues in the military and concluded that there were an estimated 14,000 transgenders whereas the overall estimated troop serving is more than 2 million.
During his first term in office, Donald Trump tried to ban transgenders from serving in the military. But his order ended up being entangled in lawsuits, and then the next president, Joe Biden, overturned his ban.
