Trump Reportedly Plans to Kick Transgender People Out of Military
A rumored executive order would discharge 15,000+ transgender individuals and ban any future transgender recruites.
Donald Trump is reportedly mulling an executive order that would discharge all active transgender service members from the military. It would also permanently ban other transgender people from enlisting in the future.
According to the London-based UK newspaper The Times, the executive order could be issued on January 20, 2025, the president-elect’s first day in office.
Under the rumored plan, an estimated 15,000 service members would be medically discharged based on their diagnosis with gender dysphoria. They would be categorized as “unfit to serve,” despite meeting all other requirements for service, including those related to their physical abilities, academic achievement, and personal character.
The ban on future service members, meanwhile, would also come at a time when most branches of the U.S. Armed Forces are struggling to meet recruitment targets.
“These people will be forced out at a time when the military can’t recruit enough people,” an anonymous source familiar with Trump’s plans told the Times. “Only the Marine Corps is hitting its numbers for recruitment, and some people who will be affected are in very senior positions.”
Recent studies indicate that transgender people are more than twice as likely to serve in the military than the general U.S. population.
Trump has previously railed against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the military. So, too, has his pick to head the Department of Defense, former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, who has complained about “weak” and “effeminate’ leadership within the military.
Hegseth has opined that the military should not concern itself with catering to the needs of a small number of service members, and that the money spent on transition-related care — which experts have said amounts to “litte more than a rounding error” in the military’s health care budget — is a waste of money.
Conservatives have urged for the end of inclusive recruitment policies, arguing that they are chasing away conservatives from the South and rural areas who otherwise might join the military but are repelled by what they see as a liberal social agenda being promoted by the Pentagon.
The rumored executive order would be broader than the ban on transgender service members Trump imposed during his first term in office.
Under that plan, future transgender recruits were barred from enlisting, but existing personnel were allowed to remain so long as they had not been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, were not attempting to transition, and remained closeted, continuing to adhere to standards of grooming and dress based on their assigned sex at birth.
The prohibition on transgender service members was repealed by President Joe Biden days after he took office in 2021.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team and the incoming White House Press Secretary, denied the allegations contained in the Times piece.
“These unnamed sources are speculating and have no idea what they are actually talking about. No decisions on this issue have been made,” she told The Independent. “No policy should ever be deemed official unless it comes directly from President Trump or his authorized spokespeople.”
Rachel Branaman, the executive director of the Modern Military Association of America, which advocates for LGBTQ inclusion in the military’s ranks, said that the proposed executive order would undermine military readiness and “create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis.”
“Abruptly discharging 15,000-plus service members, especially given that the military’s recruiting targets fell short by 41,000 recruits last year, adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps,” Branaman said. “There would be a significant financial cost, as well as a loss of experience and leadership that will take possibly 20 years and billions of dollars to replace.”
The Human Rights Campaign also denounced the rumored plans.
“Banning thousands of qualified transgender service members — who meet every qualification to serve and have been serving without incident positively contributing to the nation’s defense for nearly a decade — would make our country less safe and is nothing more than transphobia masquerading as policy,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement. “Transgender service members are patriots who have proven their commitment, skill and dedication to protecting this country.”
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