US to Remove Transgender Troops from Military
On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that transgender troops will be removed from the military unless they receive a waiver on a case-by-case basis.
The memo, which was made public through a court filing, is part of a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s executive order from late January, which sought to ban military service by transgender individuals.
“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 said.
The memo states that troops may be eligible for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling government interest in keeping the service member, which directly supports war-fighting capabilities.
To qualify for such a waiver, troops must demonstrate that they have never attempted to transition and show 36 consecutive months of stability in their sex, without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other key areas of functioning.
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Additionally, an earlier Pentagon memo issued this month prohibits transgender individuals from joining the military and suspends gender transition treatment for those already in uniform.
The latest memo also specifies that individuals seeking to join the military, who have a current or past diagnosis of, or exhibit symptoms of, gender dysphoria, are disqualified.
This also applies to those with a history of cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment/genital reconstruction surgery.
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