The US military has been directed to begin identifying service members diagnosed with or showing signs of gender dysphoria, as part of a broader effort to expel transgender individuals from service by June 6. The move follows a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the controversial transgender military ban to take effect while legal challenges continue in lower courts.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed that transgender active-duty members and reservists voluntarily leave by June 6 and July 7, respectively, to retain limited benefits, such as healthcare and separation pay. The order marks the next step in implementing a January executive order that bars transgender individuals from military service on the grounds they do not meet the military’s standards for “honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity”.
According to Advocate, new instructions issued this week direct military branches to review medical records of individuals formally diagnosed with gender dysphoria or exhibiting “symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria”. The order also reiterates the existing ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members.
“Commanders who are aware of service members in their units with gender dysphoria, a history of gender dysphoria, or symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria will direct individualised medical record reviews,” the directive states.
As reported by Stars and Stripes, a senior Defence Department official clarified that this includes initiating screenings for those not openly transgender but who are suspected of having gender dysphoria. “This is also consistent with what we expect and require of commanders generally, to ensure that their service members are fit and capable for duty… under this policy or any other,” the official said.
The official added that the policy implementation aims to ensure military readiness: “The department requires high standards to ensure that the force is ready to fight and win the nation’s wars as called upon.”
The Defence Department’s plan gives transgender service members a narrow window to leave voluntarily to preserve benefits and receive an honourable discharge. However, Rae Timberlake from Sparta Pride, a support organisation for trans military personnel, says this is not a true choice.
“There’s no guarantee to access your pension or severance or an honourable discharge,” Timberlake noted. “This is not voluntary. This is a decision that folks are coming to under duress.”
Roughly 1,000 transgender service members are expected to voluntarily exit in hopes of retaining their earned benefits before the cut-off date.
Shannon Minter, a lawyer with the National Centre for Lesbian Rights, described the May 15 memo as “disturbing” and poorly executed. “From the beginning, this policy has been implemented in a rushed and chaotic manner that is completely unnecessary and deeply disrespectful to these service members,” he said.
He also raised alarm over separation codes that could appear on discharge records, potentially creating a false perception of security risk: “This is grossly untrue and will needlessly limit their civilian employment opportunities.”
The transgender troop purge stems from a January executive order asserting that transgender people are incompatible with military service, arguing that not adhering to birth-assigned pronouns violates the military’s core values. However, this contradicts numerous studies showing that transgender personnel do not negatively affect military readiness.
The order has sparked multiple lawsuits, including one filed in Washington state by seven transgender service members and a trans civilian wishing to enlist. A judge in that case issued a temporary injunction blocking the policy’s enforcement, but the Trump-era Department of Justice appealed. Although the Ninth Circuit upheld the injunction, the Supreme Court later lifted it, clearing the way for the ban to proceed.
As of now, around 4,200 active-duty troops have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, and their future in the military remains uncertain.
