Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to start removing transgender troops from the military in early June if they do not exit voluntarily, according to a new memo.
Hegseth outlined in the Thursday memo that transgender active service members are eligible to “separate voluntarily” until June 6 and could be eligible for voluntary separation pay. For reserve forces, the deadline is set for July 7.
“Additionally, the Military Departments will immediately begin processing for separation Service members who previously self-identified for voluntary separation prior to March 26, 2025,” Hegseth wrote in a 2-page memo.
“Service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security,” the Pentagon chief said.
Around 1,000 troops who have self-identified as being diagnosed with gender dysphoria will start the voluntary separation process, Pentagon’s chief spokesman Sean Parnell said on Thursday.
Upon taking office in January, President Trump revoked a Biden-era order that allowed transgender members to serve in the military. Hegseth implemented the policy at the Pentagon, but the directive was challenged in the courts.
The Supreme Court allowed the administration on Tuesday to start enforcing the ban on transgender service members.
The administration has argued that transgender individuals can’t satisfy the “rigorous standards” needed to serve and their participation is a threat to the readiness of the U.S. military.
“No more pronouns, no more climate change obsessions, no more emergency vaccine mandates, no more dudes in dresses. We are done with that s—.” Hegseth said Tuesday at the special operations forces conference in Tampa.
