Transgender members of the U.S. Air Force are speaking out after a leaked memo revealed the branch is denying early retirement benefits to certain trans service members, forcing them to either resign or face discharge without pensions.
The memo, dated 4 August and obtained by Reuters, was authored by Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Brian Scarlett. It states that all Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) exception requests from personnel with 15 to 18 years of service will be disapproved if related to gender dysphoria.
“After careful consideration of the individual applications, I am disapproving all [TERA] exception to policy requests… for members with 15-18 years of service,” the memo reads.
The policy means those affected, regardless of service length, will face the same ultimatum: quit voluntarily or be forced out — without retirement benefits.
Advocates say some trans troops who had already been approved for early retirement have now had their packages rescinded.
Trans Service Members Speak Out
Air Force Major Emma Webb, with a decade of service, condemned the decision:
“Transgender troops… served most of their career in the closet. Then they were told it was safe to be themselves… Now the Air Force is kicking them out ONLY because they followed the Department of the Air Force policies for in-service transition.”
She argued that the policy reflects a broader pattern of exclusion, adding:
“The removal of transgender troops is driven by animus… The old motto of ‘Mission first, people always’ is dead.”
Master Sergeant Logan Ireland, a decorated veteran with 15 years of service and deployments to Afghanistan, said:
“This is a betrayal. I have served my country honorably… Without warning, I am being forcibly removed — not for misconduct, not for failure, but because I am transgender.”
From the U.S. Space Force, Sgt. Aubreigh Hedrich added:
“Those of us that this applies to have already volunteered to leave peacefully, and we’re still being targeted and harassed on the way out.”
Advocacy Groups Condemn Move
The Human Rights Campaign’s chief of staff, Jay Brown, called the policy “indefensible”:
“The Trump administration is stripping [trans troops] of the retirement benefits they’ve earned after years of honourable service… This has nothing to do with military readiness, it’s cruelty for cruelty’s sake.”
Part of a Wider Ban
This development follows President Trump’s renewed ban on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military during his second term, alongside executive orders eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes across federal agencies.
