President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly planning a significant change in military policy by issuing an order on his first day in office to stop transgender individuals from serving in the armed forces.
This highly debated action could result in approximately 15,000 active-duty service members being discharged on medical grounds, marking them as unfit for service, as noted by The Times.
The executive order, slated for January 20, 2025, would not only prevent transgender individuals from enlisting but would also create challenges for all military branches, as they are currently facing recruitment hurdles.
Trump, now aged 78, has nominated former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to helm the Department of Defense.
Hegseth has vowed to abolish policies he deems “woke” throughout government entities. In a podcast discussion, he referred to the inclusion of transgender people in the military as “pushing boundaries,” expressing, “Integrating trans people is not as straightforward as racial integration because being transgender introduces complications.”
He claimed that transgender service members are not deployable, given their dependence on medical procedures.
This isn’t Trump’s first move against transgender military personnel. Back in 2017, during his presidency, Trump declared via Twitter that transgender individuals could no longer serve. The administration at that time noted that those with a history of “gender dysphoria” could present a “considerable risk” to military effectiveness, as they might need substantial medical care. Trump justified the decision, saying the military shouldn’t shoulder the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” that might ensue from having transgender members.
Before that, under the Obama administration, transgender people were allowed to serve openly, leading to efforts aimed at recognizing their contributions. For instance, Major Jason Vero, a transgender Air Force pilot, and director of the Joint Base Andrews Air Show, recounted his transition journey following a rough patch in 2017. “I felt lost in the ocean with my head barely above water,” Vero said. “After conferring with my pastor, I opted to transition.”
Similarly, Major Rachel Jones of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command Cyber Division shared that serving openly as a transgender woman was life-saving. “I thought I was inherently evil for being transgender,” Jones revealed. “The burden of constant secrecy led to severe depression.”
Since 2020, over $26 million has been spent by the Pentagon on healthcare for transgender personnel, including $17.5 million for psychotherapy, $1.5 million on hormone treatments, and $7.6 million on surgeries affirming gender identity. Procedures vary from facial reconstruction to mastectomies, with rarer cases involving surgeries like vaginectomies and scrotoplasties.
The U.S. Military Health System annually spends around $50 billion to care for nearly 9.6 million active-duty members, retirees, and dependents under TRICARE. While TRICARE typically doesn’t fund gender-affirming surgeries, it allows active-duty members to request waivers for essential procedures.
By April 2024, about 3,700 active-duty military members had received a diagnosis and treatment for gender dysphoria. This amounts to roughly 0.3% of the military, slightly below the 0.6% of transgender people in the wider U.S. population. This figure has climbed from 1,892 in 2020, mirroring broader societal acceptance.
The most common surgeries involve facial reconstruction for enhancing gender-specific features, with others opting for mastectomies and rare procedures like clitoroplasties and scrotoplasties. In 2022, three service members even underwent voice training to better align their communication with their gender identity.
The contentious debate over transgender service intertwines concerns about medical costs, military readiness, and societal acceptance of gender diversity.
