President Donald Trump signed four executive orders regarding the military, including one that bans transgender people from enlisting and serving openly, and another that cracks down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the armed services. The order on transgender military service reinstates a previous policy, rescinding an order from President Joe Biden allowing trans individuals to enlist and receive transition-related care. The new order requires the Defense Department to update medical standards and end usage of inaccurate pronouns, among other changes. The policy bars people assigned male at birth from using women’s facilities. The Trump administration’s previous trans military restriction separated service members into exempt and nonexempt categories, with only one waiver granted during its enforcement. The new order states that service members undergoing transition surgeries are not physically capable of meeting readiness requirements and require costly consistent medical care. Estimates of transgender individuals serving in the military vary, with a Congressional Research Service report showing that about 1,892 active duty service members received transition-related care at a cost of $15 million from 2016 to 2021. Commander Emily Shilling, a transgender woman in the Navy and president of SPARTA, a trans military advocacy group, emphasized that trans service members want to continue serving. Additionally, Trump’s order “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” prohibits DEI programs in the military, requiring the review of service academies’ curricula. Notably, the State Department has suspended sex-marker changes on passport applications following Trump’s executive order regarding recognizing only two sexes.
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Executive Order Signed by Trump Bans Transgender People from Joining Military
