US to Expel Transgender Soldiers Without Waivers

The United States will remove transgender troops from military service unless they obtain individual waivers, according to a Pentagon memo released on February 26.

The memo, disclosed in a court filing challenging former President Donald Trump’s January executive order, states that service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria or exhibiting related symptoms will be separated from the military.

“Service members… will be processed for separation unless a waiver is granted on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling government interest in their retention for warfighting capabilities,” the memo reads.

To qualify for a waiver, troops must prove they have never attempted gender transition and demonstrate 36 months of stability in their assigned sex without social or occupational impairment.

A separate Pentagon directive earlier this month barred transgender individuals from enlisting and halted gender transition treatments for serving personnel. The latest memo reinforces this, stating that applicants with a history of gender dysphoria, hormone therapy, or sex reassignment surgery are disqualified unless they secure a waiver.

Transgender military service has seen shifting policies, with Democratic administrations allowing open service while Trump has repeatedly sought restrictions. The Obama administration lifted the ban in 2016, allowing transgender troops to serve openly and new recruits to enlist from mid-2017. However, Trump’s administration delayed and ultimately reversed the policy, with restrictions taking effect in April 2019 after legal battles reaching the Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden overturned those restrictions upon taking office in 2021, affirming that all qualified Americans should serve. But with Trump’s return in January, a new executive order declared that a “false gender identity” is incompatible with military service, reviving the contentious policy.