Trans members of the US armed forces have publicly deplored a “horrific” ban on military service, which goes into full effect next week.
In the wake of an executive order signed by president Donald Trump in January, the Pentagon issued a policy that military personnel with a “history of gender dysphoria” were “morally unfit” to serve.
A memo from defence secretary Pete Hegseth gave trans troops a deadline to leave voluntarily. Active-duty personnel had until 6 June, while reserve and National Guard members were given until 7 July. Those who refused are likely to face involuntary dismissal, resulting in the loss of benefits such as pensions and healthcare.
Human rights and LGBTQ+ groups, as well as former and current US military personnel, have said the move was motivated by “animus rather than reason”.
Trans major Kara Corcoran, who has been in the army for 17 years, said news of the Pentagon memo came just two days before she was set to graduate from an elite military leadership programme. She was told she would have to conform to male uniform regulations which included shaving her hair, which she had grown since coming out in 2018.
“Nothing about me is a man but they’re going to force me into male regs just so I can walk across the stage with my peers,” she said. “It’s not my choice to cut my hair. I’m doing it because I have to.”
The former platoon leader, whose combat deployments included time in Afghanistan, told the BBC that she refused to take voluntary separation and was prepared to face involuntary dismissal, however “horrific they want to make that for me”.
Non-binary naval officer Rae said the order had upended their family’s life, forcing them to move and search for a new career.
Rae, who has served aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and in the Middle East, said they were forced to transfer in preparation for their eventual dismissal.
“It felt like the safest move for us, in case I was forced to leave,” they added.
Their wife, Lindsay, said the impact had been painful and had forced the family, including their daughter, into “survival mode”.
Court filings made public in March suggest the Trump administration is struggling to justify claims that trans troops should be disqualified from service on the grounds of “honesty, humility and integrity”.
Government lawyers found it difficult to find specific examples of mental-health conditions that prevented all transgender troops from serving. When pressed further, they referred to “psychiatric and behavioural disorders,” without citing any examples.
However, they did mention financial pressures on the military caused by gender-affirming-care subsidies, but later admitted that Pentagon spending on this amounted to just $52 million (£37.7 million) over a decade.
Last week, the Pentagon’s budget for next year was reportedly revealed to be $961.6 billion (close to £698 billion).
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