MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US servicepeople with gender dysphoria ordered to start voluntary discharge

Gender dysphoria is medically incompatible with the standards necessary for military service, it was explained

The US Department of Defense, following a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week, has initiated the removal of approximately 1,000 openly transgender service members from the military, effective immediately, pursuant to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's instructions.

Under the new guidelines, transgender troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria have 30 days (until June 6 for active duty, July 7 for National Guard and Reserves) to voluntarily self-identify for separation.

However, exemptions are allowed for those proving specific warfighting contributions and stability in their biological sex. Still, those seeking a waiver would have to agree to only their biological sex being recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters, and the use of “Sir” or “Ma’am.”

Those who fail to come forward will face involuntary discharge based on medical records, which show 4,240 troops with gender dysphoria diagnoses as of December 9, 2024.

The move, condemned by transgender rights advocates as “shameful,” aligns with the Trump administration's drive to reverse prior gender policies under Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Joseph Biden.

“No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth posted on X. “No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that shit,” he was also quoted as saying during an official engagement. He was also reported to have issued a memo in this regard, mirroring another dating back to February, which was halted temporarily after legal action. But now the Supreme Court ruled that a ban on transgender people in the military may proceed.

The nearly 1,000 troops who have already self-identified with the condition “will begin the voluntary separation process,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.

Between 2015 and 2024, the US Government spent around US$ 52 million on psychotherapy, gender-affirming hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgery, and other treatments for service members, The Associated Press said, quoting a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.