President Donald Trump signed four executive orders related to the military, one of which reinstated a ban on transgender people enlisting and serving openly, rescinding an order by Joe Biden allowing trans individuals to enlist and receive transition-related care. The order, titled “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” emphasizes standards such as troop readiness, cohesion, and uniformity that it claims are inconsistent with gender dysphoria constraints and pronoun usage. The Defense Department must update its medical standards and prohibit some facilities usage for non-cisgender individuals.
Under the previous trans military ban, only certain trans service members were allowed to serve openly and receive transition-related care. Trump’s new order opposes Biden’s move to pay for trans service members’ transition surgeries, citing concerns over readiness requirements. The cost of transition-related care for active duty service members was approximately $15 million, according to reports.
Trump also signed an order titled “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the military. This order disbands DEI offices and requires a review of service academies’ curricula. Trump has been rolling back transgender rights and diversity programs, ending DEI initiatives and declaring that the government will only recognize male and female sexes. The State Department has suspended passport applications seeking sex-marker changes as a result. Despite these changes, transgender service members like Commander Emily Shilling, who was affected by Trump’s initial ban, seek to continue serving in the military.
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