US to begin immediate removal of up to 1,000 trans military members
The Pentagon is removing the 1,000 members of the military who openly identify as trans, and giving those who have yet to openly-identify as transgender 30 days to remove themselves, according to a new directive issued Thursday.
The memo is fueled by Tuesday's supreme court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on trans military members. The defense department has said it will follow up by going through medical records to identify others who haven't come forward.
Officials have said that as of 9 December 2024, there were 4,240 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria in active duty, national guard and reserve service, representing a tiny fraction — of the 2 million people in service, although they acknowledge the number may be higher.
The memo released on Thursday mirrors one sent out in February, but any action was stalled at that point by several lawsuits. When the initial Pentagon directive came out earlier this year, it gave service members 30 days to self-identify. Since then, about 1,000 have done so.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the 1,000 troops who already self-identified 'will begin the voluntary separation process' from the military.
A view of The Pentagon seen from the air. File picture: Patrick Semansky/AP
Rae Timberlake, a spokesperson for Sparta Pride, is one of the 1,000 who chose to self-identify. Timberlake has served in the Navy for 17 years and said that trans service members who don't take the current buyout offer could lose out on benefits that took years of service to build.
'There's no guarantee to access to your pension or severance or an honorable discharge,' Timberlake said.
Despite Timberlake's decision to leave, they said many trans troops would continue serving if allowed to.
'This is not voluntary. This is a decision that folks are coming to under duress,' Timberlake said. 'These are 1,000 transgender troops that would be serving if the conditions were not created to force them into making a decision for their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of their family long-term.'
The move is the latest by the Trump administration taking aim at trans members of the military and trans veterans. After Trump took office and issued a flurry of gender-focused executive orders, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) started cracking down on healthcare for LGBTQ+ veterans, starting with the rescinding of VA directive 1341, thereby phasing out treatments for gender dysphoria.
Hegseth, right, took to X to say the US government is leaving "wokeness and weakness behind". File picture: Kevin Wolf/AP
The expulsion of trans service members comes in tandem with the secretary of defense Pete Hegseth's past views that women are not suited for combat roles, at a time when military recruitment is profoundly struggling and veterans have voiced concerns that potential VA cuts could further hinder young Americans from enlisting.
Announcing the removals on Thursday, Hegseth doubled down on his hardline approach. 'We are leaving WOKENESS AND WEAKNESS behind. No more pronouns,' Hegseth wrote in a post on X on Thursday. 'We are done with that sh*t.'
Read More
Bill Gates pledges his remaining fortune to the Gates Foundation
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Bulgarian nationalists protest over government plans to adopt euro currency
Thousands of Bulgarians have taken to the streets of the capital Sofia and other major cities to protest against government plans to adopt the euro and to demand a referendum on the new currency. The protesters, led by civic groups and nationalist parties, sang patriotic songs and shouted slogans like 'Freedom for the Bulgarian lev' and 'The future belongs to sovereign states'. The anti-euro rally came four days before the Balkan country is expected to receive the green light from Brussels to enter the eurozone. Demonstrators in Sofia carried flags of the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and a huge banner that read 'The battle for the Bulgarian lev is the last battle for Bulgaria'. A protester holding a Russian flag (Valentina Petrova/AP) An increased police presence kept the protest peaceful. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and remains one of its poorest members, plagued by years of instability which has fuelled Euroscepticism among its 6.4 million citizens. Disinformation campaigns from home and abroad have added fears of economic changes that could bring more poverty. President Rumen Radev encouraged the anti-euro voices by proposing earlier this month a referendum on the currency, citing public concerns over inflation and purchasing power. The proposal was turned down by the pro-European majority in parliament, which accused him of acting in favour of Moscow with his last-minute attempt to sabotage the euro adoption, which is aimed at deepening European integration amid growing geopolitical tensions.
Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Jessica Chastain risks the ire of Donald Trump by filming new movie in Ireland
President Trump earlier this year announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the US HOLLYWOOD star Jessica Chastain is set to irk Donald Trump by filming her new movie outside the US in Ireland. The Oscar-nominated actress is not only appearing in a film set in America but the cars used in her upcoming horror flick Grandma's House also have American number plates. Our picture shows the 48-year-old Californian on location on her Irish shoot in Dunboyne Co Meath, sporting dyed dark brown hair rather than her natural redhead. She's seen cradling a teenage actress playing the role of Bela in the flick, surrounded by dozens of coloured balls. The star has been filming here for a couple of weeks, primarily around Dublin, especially indoors at Violet Hill in Killiney, and is due to wrap up on June 9. Jessica Chamberlain filming in Ireland News in 90 Seconds - May 31st The Rob Savage directed film also features Jay Duplass and is based on a script Nathan Elston adapted from Josh Malerman's eponymous novel 'Incidents Around the House.' The tale follows eight-year-old Bela, who loves her family, including mum and dad and Grandma Ruth, with all her heart. However, there is also 'Other Mommy', an otherworldly entity who always asks Bela if she can go inside her heart, with horrifying events starting to occur within the house. President Trump earlier this year announced a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the US, saying the American movie industry was dying a "very fast death" due to the incentives that other countries were offering to lure filmmakers. "This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda," Trump said on Truth Social. He added: "WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!" Chastain has starred in numerous hit films, including Zero Dark Thirsty, The Help and The Martian. She won an Oscar in 2022 for Best Actress in the Eyes of Tammy Faye, a true story about the controversial American's televangelism career. The vegan is married to Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, an Italian count of the Passi de Preposulo noble family, who is an executive for the fashion brand Moncler. The couple have a young son and daughter and live in New York. The actress has worked in Ireland on multiple occasions, including filming the movie Memory and the film Miss Julie. She previously spoke of her love for Guinness and her habit of stocking up on a specific snack when traveling, while in Ireland. Partly of Irish descent, Chastain heard that she would find many more redheads in Ireland but was disappointed when she finally made the trip. "When I went there first, I was expecting to see like, a sea of redheads, and there weren't half as many as I'd hoped," she recalled. While filming Miss Julie in Co Fermanagh she was also taken aback by the weather. 'I love the people there,' she exclaimed. 'And I bought so much incredible crystal. But the weather? In winter? Holy smokes, it's cold.'
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Pentagon chief warns China 'preparing' to use military force in Asia
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was "here to stay" in the Indo-Pacific region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe. Since taking office in January, Mr Trump has launched a trade war with China, sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. "The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent," Mr Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defence officials from around the world. Beijing is "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific", he added. Mr Hegseth warned the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and "rehearsing for the real deal". Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island, often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion. The United States was "reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China", Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats. 'Wake-up call' Mr Hegseth described China's conduct as a "wake-up call", accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyberattacks, harassing its neighbours, and "illegally seizing and militarising lands" in the South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire disputed waterway, through which more than 60% of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit. It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore defence forum, according to US officials. As Mr Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China's military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine "combat readiness patrols" around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines. "China's assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years," Casey Mace, charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, told journalists ahead of the meeting. "I think that this type of forum is exactly the type of forum where we need to have an exchange on that." Beijing has not sent any top defence ministry officials to the summit, dispatching a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defence University instead. Mr Hegseth's hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference. Da Wei, director of the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told reporters the speech was "very unfriendly" and "very confrontational", accusing Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbours while bullying its own - including Canada and Greenland. Former Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, from the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University said that training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted "peaceful reunification". Mr Hegseth's comments came after Mr Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had "violated" a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations. The world's two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days. 'Priority theatre' Mr Hegseth said the Indo-Pacific was "America's priority theatre", pledging to ensure "China cannot dominate us - or our allies and partners". He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Mr Trump's vow that "China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch". But he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and "quickly upgrade their own defences". "Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example," Mr Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump's spending target of five percent of GDP. "Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap." US 'tough love' on defence better than no love - Kallas EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, also in Singapore, said the Trump adminstration's "tough love" had helped push the continent to beef up its defences. "It's love nonetheless, so it's better than no love," Ms Kallas quipped when asked about Mr Hegseth's speech. The EU's relationship with the US was not broken, Ms Kallas stressed, saying she spoke to Ms Hegseth yesterday. "You heard his speech. He was actually quite positive about Europe, so there's definitely some love there," she said. Mr Trump has consistently pressed NATO countries to increase defence spending, asking for as much as 5% of GDP and saying Washington will no longer tolerate freeloaders. Ms Kallas said: "There are different countries in Europe and some of us have realised a long time ago that we need to invest in defence." "The European Union has shifted gear and reimagined our own paradigm as a peace project backed up with hard defence," she said. "It is a good thing we are doing more, but what I want to stress is that the security of Europe and the security of the Pacific is very much interlinked," she added. Ms Kallas pointed to Ukraine, where North Korean soldiers were already operating and China was providing military hardware to Russia. "There were some very strong messages in the US secretary of defense speech regarding China," Ms Kallas said. "I think again, if you are worried about China, you should be worried about Russia," she said. Ms Kallas said the EU wanted to build "partnerships in our mutual interest" in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the field of defence and economy. But the EU was also bringing economic power to the table, she said. Ms Kallas disagreed with suggestions that the US should focus on the Indo-Pacific region and Europe concentrate on its own patch. "I really think if you look at the economic might of China, I think... the big countries or the superpowers sometimes overestimate their own strength," she said. China's economic dominance could only be tackled together with "like-minded partners like the United States, like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea... and Singapore," said Ms Kallas.
