This adds to the damage caused by the Trump administration’s controversial policy against trans military members and veterans. This move was widely decried by service members and advocacy groups. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is intending to change that with a new administrative memo. It provides a path for transgender troops to exit the military with continued support. This damaging policy was born as a consequence of a harmful Supreme Court decision. It grants the Trump administration the power to implement a ban on transgender people serving in the military.
Its release has caused upwards of 1,000 transgender troops to voluntarily separate from their military service. This decision comes after a combination of an influx of judicial challenges that had already stayed the ban earlier in February. Without clear guarantees for their pension, severance, and honorable discharge many trans service members are getting out or staying in the shadows. They deserve better assurances for their future.
According to the Department of Defense, as of December 9, 2024, there are approximately 4,240 active duty, national guard, and reserve troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Experts say the true figure is much higher, as many such incidences go underreported. Rae Timberlake currently serves as a spokesperson for Sparta Pride. This Navy veteran, honorably discharged after 17 years of service, is openly and proudly transgender.
“There’s no guarantee to access to your pension or severance or an honorable discharge,” – Rae Timberlake
Timberlake spoke to the fact that most trans service members are separating under duress, not by choice. The memo is, at its heart, a financial-induced rush to the exit for service members, but it serves to undermine the benefits they’ve earned over long service.
“This is not voluntary. This is a decision that folks are coming to under duress,” – Rae Timberlake
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants to change that in ways that would put LGBTQ+ veterans at greater risk. In concert with internal military changes, these actions can lead to even more challenges. The VA has ceased providing medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria. Additionally, they have rolled back directive 1341, which previously offered healthcare protections for LGBTQ+ veterans. These changes have raised alarms about the potential impact on military recruitment and retention amid ongoing struggles to recruit young Americans.
Hegseth’s hardline agenda on trans military personnel is just one part of the broader agenda that the Trump administration is trying to push. He’s put on the record his desire to roll back what he calls “wokeness” in the military.
“We are leaving WOKENESS AND WEAKNESS behind. No more pronouns. We are done with that sh*it,” – Pete Hegseth
The continued expulsion of trans service members is a serious hurdle for US military recruitment to deal with. These efforts might be doomed by their inability to recruit new enlistees. Veterans and veterans advocacy organizations are rightly concerned. They express concern that possible future cuts to VA services will turn off younger Americans from seeing military service as an attractive future career path.