Latest news with #2025MilitaryBan
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hegseth implements Trump's ban on transgender recruits, gender-affirming medical care
Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for all active-duty service members and said the military will no longer accept transgender recruits with gender dysphoria. This directive comes in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's executive order 13 days ago. About 15,000 transgender individuals are currently serving in the U.S. military, including active duty and reserve forces, according to the independent research institute Palm Center in 2018. This represents about 1% of 1.3 million active-duty personnel. The memo, obtained by media outlets, including ABC and The Hill, was addressed to senior Pentagon leadership and military command on Friday. "Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused," the memo said. "Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect." He added the Department of Defense would provide "additional policy and implementation guidance" to service members "with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria." The Defense Department spent about $15 million on surgical and non-surgical care for 1,892 transgender active-duty service members between 2016 and 2021, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Of that amount, $11.5 million was for psychotherapy and $3.1 million on surgeries. He explained the rationale for the ban: "The Department of Defense's mission requires Service members to abide by strict mental and physical standards," Hegseth wrote in the memo. "The lethality, readiness, and warfighting capability of our Force depends on Service members meeting those standards. "The Department must ensure it is building 'One Force' without subgroups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence Efforts to split our troops along the lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated," he added. Trump signed the executive order on Jan. 28, rescinding President Joe Biden administration policies that permitted transgender service members to serve openly in the military based on their gender identity. In 2017, Trump banned the service of transgender troops as ordered by President Barack Obama in 2016. Then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said transgender troops who had begun receiving treatment under the Obama-era policy were grandfathered in. Trump's new order said that receiving gender-affirming medical care is physically and mentally "incompatible with active duty." Trump's directive is being challenged in federal court in two lawsuits by LGBTQ+ rights groups on behalf of active-duty transgender service members. "By categorically excluding transgender people, the 2025 Military Ban and related federal policy and directives violate the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment and the free speech guarantee of the First Amendment," states the lawsuit by the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal on behalf of six transgender military personnel. "They lack any legitimate or rational justification, let alone the compelling and exceedingly persuasive ones required. Accordingly, Plaintiffs seek declaratory, and preliminary and permanent injunctive, relief." GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a separate lawsuit of six additional active duty service members. Hegseth's memo "underscores the urgency of the need for court intervention," Shannon Minter, lead counsel of NCLR, told ABC News in a statement Monday. Trump has been targeting transgender people in other orders, including one declaring the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. On Wednesday, he prohibited transgender female athletes from competing on girls and women's sports teams. Approximately, 1.6 million people in the United States identify as transgender, which is about 0.6% of the population 13 and older, according to the Williams Institute. Approximately 25% of transgender people report having undergone some form of gender-affirming surgery.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care procedures for all active-duty service members in a memo that was addressed to senior Pentagon leadership and military command. The Feb. 7, 2025, memo, which was obtained today by ABC News, also ordered an immediate pause on all new promotions in the military for individuals 'with a history of gender dysphoria.' 'Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused,' the memo says. 'Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect,' the memo continued, adding that the Department of Defense would provide 'additional policy and implementation guidance' to service members 'with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria.' The memo came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 28 rescinding Biden administration policies that permitted transgender service members to serve openly in the military based on their gender identity. The executive order is being challenged in federal court by prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including Human Rights Campaign, which filed a pair of lawsuits against the Trump administration on behalf of active-duty transgender service members. The executive order directed the Department of Defense to revise the Pentagon's policy on transgender service members and stated that "expressing a false "gender identity" divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service." The order further argued that receiving gender-affirming medical care is one of the conditions that is physically and mentally "incompatible with active duty." "Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service," the order continued. Hegseth echoed this sentiment in the Feb. 7 memo, saying that 'efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated.' Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of six active-duty transgender service members, challenging the Trump administration over the president's ban on transgender service members. "By categorically excluding transgender people, the 2025 Military Ban and related federal policy and directives violate the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment and the free speech guarantee of the First Amendment," the lawsuit said. "They lack any legitimate or rational justification, let alone the compelling and exceedingly persuasive ones required. Accordingly, Plaintiffs seek declaratory, and preliminary and permanent injunctive, relief." A similar lawsuit against the Trump administration was filed on Jan. 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by advocacy groups GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) on behalf of six additional active duty service members. ABC News reached out to the White House regarding the lawsuits but requests for comment were not returned. The immediate impact of the memo on transgender service members is unclear, but ABC News has reached out to the plaintiffs in each of those lawsuits for comment. Hegseth orders immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for transgender service members originally appeared on
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Second lawsuit filed challenging Trump's transgender troops ban
A second group of transgender service members sued President Trump on Thursday over his executive order barring transgender people from serving openly in the military. Trump signed the order last week, fulfilling a campaign promise as part of a broader crackdown on what his administration has called 'gender insanity' in the federal government. 'Banning ready, willing, and able service members does not further the objectives of the United States Armed Forces,' the lawsuit reads. 'The military needs more recruits to maintain readiness and fill its ranks. But the 2025 Military Ban turns them away and forces current decorated service members to hide their identity, quit, or be separated from the military,' it continues. LGBTQ rights organizations Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign brought the lawsuit on behalf of seven openly transgender service members, another transgender person who wishes to enlist and advocacy group Gender Justice League. Filed in Seattle's federal district court, the lawsuit claims Trump's ban violates the Constitution's free speech, equal protection and due process protections. 'The assertion that transgender service members like myself are inherently untrustworthy or lack honor is an insult to all who have dedicated their lives to defending this country,' Cmdr. Emily Shilling, the lead plaintiff, said in a statement. 'My nearly two decades of service as a naval aviator and test pilot, routinely selected for the most challenging leadership roles, with 60 combat missions and over 1,700 flight hours in high-performance jets, speaks for itself.' The Hill has reached out to the Defense Department for comment. The case adds to an existing lawsuit challenging Trump's ban filed on behalf of a group of service members by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. Together, the two cases resume a legal battle that played out during Trump's first term, when he also signed a ban on transgender troops openly serving in the military. Courts unanimously blocked it before the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect in 2019 while lower courts heard additional arguments. Former President Biden reversed the policy in a 2021 executive order. In his second term, Trump has issued a flurry of gender-related orders. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order banning transgender girls from competing in women's of the actions have come under legal scrutiny. A judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Trump's mandate that transgender women in federal prison be transferred to men's facilities. Groups are also challenging Trump's order meant to broadly restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender children and teenagers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Service members sue Trump administration over transgender military service ban
Lambda Legal and Human Rights Campaign, two leading LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday challenging the Trump administration over the president's executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military. The lawsuit, which was obtained by ABC News, was filed in the U.S. District Court-Western District of Washington on behalf of six active duty transgender service members, a transgender person seeking to enlist in the military, as well as Seattle human rights organization Gender Justice League. "By categorically excluding transgender people, the 2025 Military Ban and related federal policy and directives violate the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment and the free speech guarantee of the First Amendment," the lawsuit said. "They lack any legitimate or rational justification, let alone the compelling and exceedingly persuasive ones required. Accordingly, Plaintiffs seek declaratory, and preliminary and permanent injunctive, relief." U.S. Navy Commander Emily "Hawking" Shilling, who according to the lawsuit has been serving in the military for 19 years, criticized the ban in a statement, saying that the measure is "not about readiness or cohesion, and it is certainly not about merit." "It is about exclusion and betrayal, purposely targeting those of us who volunteered to serve, simply for having the courage and integrity to live our truth," Shilling said, The lawsuit comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 28, rescinding Biden administration policies that permitted transgender service members to serve openly in the military based on their gender identity. The order directed the Department of Defense to revise the Pentagon's policy on transgender service members and stated that "expressing a false "gender identity" divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service." The order further argued that receiving gender-affirming medical care is one of the conditions that is physically and mentally "incompatible with active duty." "Consistent with the military mission and longstanding DoD policy, expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service," the order continued. The executive order banning transgender service members in the military came one week after Trump signed a related order on Jan. 20, declaring that the U.S. government will only recognize a person's gender assigned at birth. "The assertion that transgender service members like myself are inherently untrustworthy or lack honor is an insult to all who have dedicated their lives to defending this country," Shilling said in the statement. Trump issued a similar order during his first term in office that was challenged in the courts and now HRC and Lambda Legal have joined other leading advocacy groups in challenging the order in the courts. GLAD Law and The National Center for Lesbian Rights also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of six transgender service members on Jan. 28. ABC News has reached out to the Trump administration but a request for comment was not immediately returned. Service members sue Trump administration over transgender military service ban originally appeared on
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Civil Rights Groups Sue to Overturn Trump's Transgender Military Ban
Two civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging President Donald Trump's ban on transgender service personnel in the United States Armed Forces. The Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal, along with Seattle-headquartered law firm Perkins Coie, brought the constitutional challenge in response to an executive order Trump issued last week that alleged transgender people should not be allowed to serve because their gender identity is 'not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.' As many as 15,000 troops are transgender, according to a survey of active duty and reserve military personnel, meaning Trump's order could deprive the armed forces of thousands of capable members at a time when recruitment numbers have fallen to crisis-level lows. 'This discriminatory ban is a threat to our national security, wastes years of training and financial investments, and is unconstitutional, Sarah Warbelow, Human Rights Campaign's vice president of legal, said in a statement. 'Our military must be able to recruit the best candidates, retain the highly-trained servicemembers, and every qualified patriot should be able to serve free of discrimination.' The lawsuit, launched in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, was filed on behalf of seven active transgender troops, one transgender person who wants to enlist, and the Seattle-based civil rights organization Gender Justice League. 'By categorically excluding transgender people, the 2025 Military Ban and related federal policy and directives violate the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment and the free speech guarantee of the First Amendment,' the lawsuit reads. 'They lack any legitimate or rational justification, let alone the compelling and exceedingly persuasive ones required. Accordingly, Plaintiffs seek declaratory, and preliminary and permanent injunctive, relief.' The Human Rights Campaign and Lambda pledged to sue last week after Trump's executive order. 'The assertion that transgender service members like myself are inherently untrustworthy or lack honor is an insult to all who have dedicated their lives to defending this country,' said Emily Shilling, a Naval commander with 19 years of service and one of the plaintiffs, in a statement. 'My nearly two decades of service as a naval aviator and test pilot, routinely selected for the most challenging leadership roles, with 60 combat missions and over 1,700 flight hours in high-performance jets, speaks for itself.' In 2017, during his first term, Trump also moved to ban transgender troops from the military, announcing the move in a series of tweets that even caught the Pentagon off guard. The Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal also sued to block that policy, which the Supreme Court allowed to be implemented while challenges to the ban made their way through the legal system. Former President Joe Biden rescinded the policy shortly after taking office in 2021. A government-commissioned study by the RAND Corporation, published in 2016, found that allowing transgender people to serve openly in the armed forces had no 'effect on operational effectiveness, operational readiness or cohesion.' Since the beginning of his second term last month, Trump has launched a sustained offensive on transgender rights. On Wednesday, he signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in female sports competitions. At the White House, he said 'the radical left has waged an all out campaign to erase the very concept of biological sex and replace it with a militant transgender ideology.' On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an order that said the government will recognize male and female as the only two sexes, adding they are 'not changeable.' He also issued an order to halt federal support for gender-affirming care for trans people under 19. Seven families with transgender or nonbinary children filed a lawsuit challenging that order Tuesday.
