- The U.S. Army announced it will no longer allow transgender people to join the service and will stop performing or facilitating gender transition procedures for service members. This policy applies to individuals with a history of gender dysphoria.
- The announcement followed an executive order by President Donald Trump, directing the Pentagon to establish a policy for transgender service members.
- While the Army is the first branch to publicly announce the ban, other branches are expected to follow.
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The U.S. Army has announced it will no longer allow transgender people to join the service. This was the first U.S. military branch to publicly announce the ban.
On Friday, Feb. 14, the U.S. Army said it would stop accepting transgender service members and would stop performing or “facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members.”
According to the service, the new policy would apply to people with “a history of gender dysphoria” who planned to join the service.
The Army later commended troops with gender dysphoria and said they “volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect.”
Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect.
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 14, 2025
Why is the Army banning transgender soldiers?
The announcement came after an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order directed the Pentagon to determine a policy for transgender service members within 30 days.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also paused bringing in recruits with a previous diagnosis of gender dysphoria and paused all gender-affirming care.
The administration claims that a gender identity that isnt consistent with an individual’s sex would “conflict with a soldier’s commitment.
In Trump’s executive order, it states, “A gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”
Hegseth has also previously opposed allowing transgender people into the military. The Trump administration has also labeled gender identity a “false concept” and said the government would only recognize two genders, male and female.
Are other branches going to follow?
Currently, the Army is the only branch to make a public announcement on the policy change. However, other branches are expected to follow.
President Trump’s executive order requested the Defense Department set a new policy which holds that someone with a “divergent” gender identity couldn’t “satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”
Secretary Hegseth filed a memo on Feb. 7, that told all military commands to align with Trump’s executive order.
“Efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated,” Hegseth wrote in the memo.
