Trans-identifying U.S. service members to be discharged, Pentagon memo says

The memo, attached to a Wednesday court filing, called gender dysphoria incompatible with the military’s high standards and directed Department of Defense personnel to, within 30 days, begin the process of discharging trans-identifying service members. The memo said the move was in accordance with a Jan. 27 executive order from President Donald Trump which contained similar statements about gender dysphoria and ordered the Secretary of Defense to take further action.

The memo states that service members can apply for case-by-case waivers, but will only be retained if the military finds them necessary for fighting capabilities. To obtain a waiver, they must also show that they never tried to transition and agree to abide by standards consistent with their biological sex.

Trump administration officials filed the memo as evidence in response to a federal lawsuit brought by six active-duty service members and two prospective service members who seek to enlist, all of whom identify as transgender. The group contends the new policy violates the Equal Protection component of the Fifth Amendment.

How many trans-identifying people serve in the United States military? A 2020 study estimated that at least 8000 active-duty service members identify as transgender, though the authors stress the real number may be higher. Former President Joe Biden appointed U.S. Navy veteran Shawn Skelly, a man who identifies as a woman, to a high Department of Defense position in 2021.