The Pentagon's measure is drastic - transgender people will not have access to military service. President Trump signed a corresponding decree last month.
– The service of these individuals is not in the interest of the armed forces and is clearly not consistent with the interests of national security," says a Pentagon directive prepared by order of President Donald Trump. The document was made public in the course of a lawsuit filed by LGBTI groups against the US government.
Who are transgender people
Transgender people do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Since 2019 The World Health Organization (WHO) has since stopped classifying transgender and gender identity disorders as mental illnesses, reflecting modern understandings of gender identity. A previous Pentagon directive prohibited discrimination based on gender identity.
Those affected must leave the military
The new directive requires military leaders to identify within 30 days all individuals with a diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria (the dissatisfaction that a person experiences because their biological sex does not match their internal sense of gender identity). According to the directive, these individuals must be discharged from the military - unless "their record justifies" something different, the DPA agency wrote on the subject.
Exceptions are only allowed if the individuals in question "participate in direct military action". In addition, they must have lived with the gender they were assigned at birth for three years without causing them psychological distress, never have changed their gender, and accept military regulations for the corresponding gender.
According to the directive, the Pentagon recognizes only two genders, and the accepted forms of address in the army are "Mr." and "Mrs." - in accordance with the gender they were assigned at birth. In addition, gender reassignment procedures will no longer be funded by the military's health insurance, and planned surgeries will be canceled.
Necessity or ideologically motivated?
Critics believe that this is a discriminatory measure that could weaken the operational readiness of the troops, as experienced soldiers will be forced to leave service. Human rights groups suspect that the decision was made not because of military necessity, but for ideological reasons.
Transgender people have been able to serve openly in the US military since 2016, when the rules were changed under then-US President Barack Obama. The exact number of transgender people in the military is unclear, as there are no standardized surveys, and many of those affected do not reveal their identity for fear of discrimination, DPA emphasizes. However, according to some estimates, the percentage of actively serving transgender people in the US military is in the single digits.
Trump's old idea
DPA recalls that during his first term, Donald Trump campaigned to exclude transgender people from the military, and now he is apparently tightening the rules further. He claims that the military is "ravaged by radical gender ideology" and instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to draw up new guidelines. In response, LGBTI groups have taken the issue to court.
According to a recent Gallup poll cited by NBC News, 58% of Americans support allowing transgender people to serve in the military. In 2019, 71% of the population shared this view.