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Pentagon orders immediate stop to gender-affirming care for transgender troops

The Department of Defense will no longer provide medical care for trans service members.

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Transgender troops can no longer get the medical care they need under Defense Department policy.

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In an escalation of the Trump administration’s war on transgender Americans, the Pentagon has once again halted all gender-affirming health care for trans service members, just weeks after briefly reinstating it under court order. According to a memo obtained by Reuters, the Defense Department is now moving forward with a complete rollback of care for troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria, as it prepares to forcibly discharge those who do not voluntarily resign by June 6.

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The decision, signed by acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Stephen Ferrara, comes despite a federal court's preliminary injunction issued in April that forced the Pentagon to restore access to hormone therapy and other medically necessary treatment. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the injunction and ruled in Shilling v. United States that the Trump administration could proceed with its ban on transgender service members while at least two legal challenges proceed. The Pentagon began implementing its ban immediately.

Related: Defense Department reinstates gender-affirming care for trans troops

The about-face follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s inflammatory public statements targeting transgender troops and his ultimatum to resign during Pride Month or be kicked out.

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