The U.S. military will begin the process of removing transgender service members within the next 30 days unless they receive a waiver, according to a memo from the Pentagon released Wednesday. The directive follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in late January that seeks to bar transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces.
The memo states that any service member who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, has a history of the condition, or exhibits symptoms consistent with it will be processed for separation. However, exceptions may be made under a waiver system that considers whether retaining the individual serves a “compelling government interest” that supports military readiness and warfighting capabilities.
To qualify for a waiver, transgender service members must demonstrate that they have not attempted to transition and must show “36 consecutive months of stability in the service member’s sex without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.”
The policy change has drawn strong reactions from advocacy groups. SPARTA Pride, a nonprofit organization that represents transgender service members and veterans, released a statement pushing back against the decision. The group emphasized that transgender troops have served openly and honorably for years and that their contributions to the military should not be erased. “No policy will ever erase transgender Americans’ contribution to history, warfighting, or military excellence. Transgender service members have a unique fighting spirit and will continue to defend the Constitution and American values no matter what lies ahead,” the statement read.
Defense Secretary Hegseth has suspended people with “gender dysphoria” from joining the military and stopped gender transition surgery for all troops. So, you can no longer join up to get taxpayer funded sex change surgeries. You can only join to fight. More commonsense 🤷♂️👇 pic.twitter.com/p7wvmiY6Nf
— Conservative insurrectionist (@BFacist) February 10, 2025
The military’s approach to transgender service has shifted multiple times in recent years. In 2016, under President Barack Obama’s administration, the Pentagon lifted its ban on transgender troops, allowing those already in the military to serve openly. The policy also set a deadline for accepting transgender recruits, which was scheduled for July 2017.
After taking office, President Trump postponed that deadline to 2018 before moving to reverse the policy altogether. The administration’s efforts to restrict transgender military service faced several legal challenges and were revised before taking effect in April 2019. The final version of the Trump administration’s policy allowed transgender individuals to serve only if they did not transition or seek medical treatment related to gender dysphoria.
🚨BREAKING: Pete Hegseth just ENDED all transgender medical procedures and PAUSED all hires of anyone with gender dysphoria “effective immediately.” pic.twitter.com/ZXPDhxV9x9
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) February 10, 2025
President Joe Biden rescinded the Trump-era restrictions in January 2021, shortly after taking office. His executive order reinstated the Obama administration’s policy and allowed transgender individuals to enlist and serve openly, stating that “all Americans qualified to serve should be able to do so.”
After returning to office this year, President Trump reinstated his prior restrictions, arguing in his executive order that “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.” The order marked a renewed effort to limit transgender participation in the armed forces.
Legal challenges are expected to follow the latest policy shift, as advocacy groups and affected service members weigh their options. Meanwhile, transgender troops currently serving will have one month to apply for waivers that could allow them to remain in uniform. The Pentagon has not provided an estimate of how many service members could be affected by the new policy.
