Seventeen transgender service members are taking legal action against the US administration after their early retirement approvals were abruptly revoked just months after being granted. The plaintiffs, each of whom has served between 15 and 18 years in the military, now face the loss of an estimated $1 million to $2 million in lifetime compensation.
“I’ve done what my service and my country asked of me,” Master Sgt. Logan Ireland, the lead plaintiff, told The Advocate. “My gender should have no bearing on what retirement benefits I’m afforded. Full stop […] Gender aside, I’m a service member and I’ve sacrificed for this uniform.”
The lawsuit, Ireland et al. v. United States, follows policy changes that targeted long-serving transgender personnel. In May, ahead of the implementation of the president’s second ban on transgender troops, Gwen DeFilipi, then the Acting Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs in the Air Force, issued a directive. This policy allowed trans members of the Air Force and Space Force with 15 to 18 years of service to apply for Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA).
Relying on that guidance, the 17 plaintiffs submitted applications, which were formally approved by July. However, a sudden change in leadership in August saw Brian L. Scarlett replace DeFilipi. Soon after assuming the role, Scarlett issued a memo rescinding those previously approved TERA applications.
This reversal stripped the affected service members of their retirement dates and associated benefits, including military pensions, TRICARE access, health insurance, housing entitlements, and disability coverage.
The Air Force later stated that those impacted could apply for voluntary separation pay. However, by the time their retirement approvals were rescinded, the application deadline for separation pay had already passed, leaving many without recourse.
Shannon Minter, Legal Director at the National Centre for LGBTQ Rights and one of the lead attorneys on the case, criticised the administration’s actions.
“There has never been an administration that has shown such open hostility to the brave men and women who have served our country,” Minter said.
Since Scarlett’s appointment, the Air Force has reportedly led efforts to penalise transgender troops. In August, it became the first military branch to introduce formal guidelines for discharging trans personnel. These rules were later adopted across other military branches and notably removed key protections such as due process and the ability for service members to challenge involuntary separation.
