US Set to Remove Transgender Troops from Military Within 30 Days

The United States military has announced plans to begin removing transgender troops from service within 30 days, unless they obtain waivers on a case-by-case basis. This decision comes after President Donald Trump’s executive order in late January aimed at barring military service by transgender personnel.

According to a Pentagon memo, service members with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service. However, they may be considered for waivers if there is a compelling government interest in retaining them, specifically if it supports warfighting capabilities.

To obtain a waiver, troops must demonstrate that they have never attempted to transition and show 36 consecutive months of stability in their sex without significant distress or impairment. This move is the latest development in a series of changing policies on transgender military service in the US.

The issue has been highly politicized, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit transgender troops to serve openly, while Trump has repeatedly sought to restrict their service. The US military initially lifted its ban on transgender troops in 2016 under President Barack Obama, but Trump’s administration postponed and eventually reversed the policy.

Trump’s restrictions, which were challenged in court, came into effect in April 2019. However, President Joe Biden reversed these restrictions in 2021, only for Trump to reinstate them after returning to office in January. Trump’s executive order claimed that expressing a “false gender identity” cannot meet the rigorous standards required for military service.