The US military has announced an immediate ban on transgender people joining the forces and has halted all medical treatments related to gender transitions for active military personnel, according to a post on its official Twitter account on Friday.
This change in policy follows a decree by President Donald Trump on January 27, which requires the military to adhere strictly to a person’s biological gender and effectively ends considerations of gender identity in the military.
“With immediate effect, all new recruitments for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria will be halted and all ongoing, terminated, or planned medical treatments that are associated with a confirmation or alleviation of a gender transition for military personnel will be halted” the US military stated.
The military also promised to treat all currently serving “individuals with gender dysphoria [..] with dignity and respect” echoing a memo recently issued by Defense Minister Pete Hegseth.
While interest groups claim that up to 15,000 transgender individuals are currently serving across all branches of the US military, official figures suggest much lower numbers, according to Reuters.
Earlier this month, Hegseth, a former Fox news moderator and a veteran of the US National Guard, spoke out against “divisive” initiatives in the military as he moved to end the Pentagon’s program for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), arguing that these initiatives undermine cohesion.
“I think the most ridiculous single statement in military history is ‘Our diversity is our strength.’ I think our strength is our unity” Hegseth said to Pentagon employees. “In this department, we will treat everyone equally [..] We will treat everyone with respect and we will evaluate you as individuals based on your achievements and your commitment to the team and the mission.”
Trump had initially banned transgender people from serving in the military in 2017, only for the ban to be lifted by his successor, former President Joe Biden, in 2021. Trump reinstated the ban after returning to office and has since rescinded dozens of decrees signed by his predecessor, including at least a dozen measures that promoted the interests of racial minorities and the LGBTQ community.
Trump officially decreed that the US government recognizes only two genders, male and female and added that this determination cannot be changed. He also ended federal funding for “chemical and surgical mutilation” of children through puberty blockers, hormones and other medical procedures related to gender transitions of individuals under 19.