The U.S. Army has implemented a policy change, banning transgender individuals from enlisting and suspending gender-affirming care for current service members, the military branch announced Friday.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Army confirmed that “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 #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members.
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 14, 2025
Stay tuned for more details.
The policy shift follows President Donald Trump’s recent executive order directing military branches to revise gender policies, referring to a conflict between transgender service members’ identities and what he described as “a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”
The new regulation targets individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person experiences distress due to a misalignment between their assigned sex at birth and their gender identity. While the Army stated that it would continue to treat transgender service members with “dignity and respect,” the sudden policy reversal has led to six active-duty service members filing a lawsuit against the administration, challenging the constitutionality of the ban.
The policy mirrors Trump’s 2017 attempt to bar transgender individuals from serving, a directive that was later overturned under the Biden administration. The latest order has renewed debates over military readiness, equal opportunity, and the rights of LGBTQ+ service members.
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