The U.S. Department of Defense started removing transgender service members from the military following a Supreme Court decision that allowed the Trump administration’s ban to take effect. A memo issued Thursday, May 8, directed immediate voluntary separation for roughly 1,000 individuals who previously identified as transgender while in uniform.
Others who have not come forward now have 30 days to do so before facing potential involuntary discharge.
Active-duty personnel have until June 6 to self-identify and begin the separation process, while reserve service members have until July 7.
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Pentagon data from December 2024 identified about 4,240 service members with gender dysphoria — roughly 0.2% of the military’s 2 million personnel.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s memo deems anyone with a current or past diagnosis of gender dysphoria— or related symptoms — unfit for service under the administration’s standards.
“In accordance with policy now reinstated, service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria may elect to separate voluntarily,” the memo stated. “Such service members may also be eligible for voluntary separation pay.”
The reinstated ban reverses a Biden-era policy that let trans people serve openly and is part of a broader set of changes to LGBTQ+ military policies under the Trump administration.
Veterans groups raised concerns that the policy and proposed VA benefit restrictions could deter recruitment and worsen existing enlistment shortfalls.
How many troops are affected?
Pentagon data from December 2024 identified approximately 4,240 service members across active duty, reserve and National Guard components diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the New York Times reported in February. While that accounts for roughly 0.2% of the military’s 2 million members, officials acknowledged the actual number could be higher.
The Pentagon identified 1,000 troops for separation after they self-reported under the initial 30-day directive.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed those troops will begin the formal exit process, which may include eligibility for voluntary separation pay.
Advocates and service members said the new directive places transgender troops in a difficult position.
Rae Timberlake, a Navy veteran and spokesperson for Sparta Pride, a nonprofit transgender service member organization, warned that troops who don’t take the voluntary offer may lose access to pensions, severance or honorable discharge status. Timberlake, who served in the Navy for 17 years, called the policy coercive.
“This is not voluntary,” Timberlake told The Guardian. “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.”
What does the administration say about readiness?
Hegseth and the Trump administration argued the ban supports military discipline and national security. Hegseth’s memo aligned with Executive Order 14183, which was issued in January and stated that transgender identities do not meet “rigorous standards necessary for Military Service.”
He repeated that message during a public appearance this week.
“No more pronouns. We are done with that sh-t,” Hegseth said.
The administration maintained that service by individuals with gender dysphoria undermines unit cohesion and readiness. Critics, including advocacy groups and some federal judges, dispute those claims, citing a lack of supporting evidence and discriminatory intent behind the policy.
How did the Supreme Court ruling impact enforcement?
The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Pentagon to proceed by staying lower court injunctions on May 6. The unsigned decision allows the government to enforce the ban while legal challenges continue. The court’s three liberal justices dissented.
LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations called the ruling a significant setback. Lambda Legal said the policy is “a devastating blow to transgender servicemembers” and said it stems from bias rather than military necessity.
“When that ruling came out, I and thousands of other transgender service members were doing the jobs and the missions that the military had assigned to us,” Space Force Col. Bree Fram, one of the highest-ranking openly transgender officers in the U.S. military, told CBS News.
What’s next for transgender troops and the policy’s legal fate?
The policy now proceeds under court review, but enforcement is already underway. After July 7, the Department of Defense will begin involuntary separation proceedings against remaining transgender troops who have not exited voluntarily.
