Transgender Troops to Be Separated From Military in New Pentagon Directive

In a Pentagon memorandum dated Wednesday, the Department of Defense (DOD) is requesting transgender service members be identified in 30 days, then separated.

Newsweek reached out to the DOD via email for comment late Wednesday night.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has heavily pushed policies and issued several executive orders rolling back rights for transgender people since beginning his second term on January 20.

The president signed a ban on openly transgender people serving in the military in an executive order on January 27, claiming that transgender troops negatively impact "excellence" and "readiness."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth later issued a memo saying that transgender people would no longer be allowed to enlist in the military, while asserting that service members with gender dysphoria who are already in the military would be "treated with dignity and respect."

The fate of Trump's ban, a policy that was also in place for a time during his first term, is uncertain amid an ongoing court challenge.

What To Know

According to the memo signed by Darin S. Selnick, who performs duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, the secretaries of the military departments will identify transgender troops within 30 days.

Then the memo states separation actions will commence for those service members "who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria and are not granted a waiver."

Trump's executive order, signed one week after his inauguration, directed the Pentagon, and ultimately Hegseth, to update guidance "regarding trans-identifying medical standards for military service and to rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness."

Trump's order also said transgender troops "cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service."

The memo dated on Wednesday echoed Trump's order, saying that people with gender dysphoria "are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service."

What People Are Saying

Selnick, in the DOD memo: "It is the policy of the United States Government to establish high standards for Service member readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity. This policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria or who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria."

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who presides over a lawsuit on the ban, ripped the policy during an exchange with Trump administration lawyers in court last week: "This is a policy from the president of the United States affecting thousands of people ... to call an entire group of people lying, dishonest people, who are undisciplined, immodest and have no integrity. How is that anything other than showing animus? ... It is frankly ridiculous."

Advocacy group American Veterans for Equal Rights, in a news release issued after Trump's ban was announced late last month: "President Donald Trump's ban on Transgender military service members jeopardizes national security by removing thousands of highly skilled personnel from the critical job of safeguarding our nation from attack."

Update 02/27/25, 12:05 a.m.: This article was updated with additional information and context.