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Donald Trump signs new executive order affecting transgender military members

Transgender protest
Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
On July 26, 2017, after a series of tweets by President Donald Trump, which proposed to ban transgender people from military service, thousands of New Yorkers took the streets of in opposition.

He signed the order Monday night on Air Force 1.

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President Donald Trump has signed an executive order related to “eliminating gender radicalism in the military” after it was expected that he would sign a ban on transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, building on a series of measures targeting transgender and nonbinary Americans since returning to office last week.

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According to a White House pool report, Trump signed the executive order on Air Force One before 9 p.m ET. White House staff secretary Will Scharf told reporters on the flight from Miami to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that Trump had signed five measures: an order reinstating military members who were terminated around vaccine mandates, one establishing an American Iron Dome” missile defense system, and one eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion funds and offices within the military. “The [next] executive order that President Trump signed relates to eliminating gender radicalism in the military,” Scharf said.

Trump’s Monday late evening directive does not immediately reinstate a ban on service like the one he instituted during his first term. That policy was reversed with a 2021 directive under President Joe Biden. However, the executive order “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness, states that the “policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria.” It adds that it “is also inconsistent with shifting pronoun usage or use of pronouns that inaccurately reflect an individual’s sex.”

The order claims “to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force.” It asserts that “success in this existential mission requires a singular focus on developing the requisite warrior ethos, and the pursuit of military excellence cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion.”

The order goes on to explicitly target transgender service members. “Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,” the order reads. “Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.”

In further justification, the order describes transgender identities as fundamentally incompatible with military values: “A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”

It continues, “For the sake of our Nation and the patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve it, military service must be reserved for those mentally and physically fit for duty.”

Related: Trump revokes Biden’s order that lifted trans military ban, clearing way for new ban

The text of the order came after a day full of messaging previewing a trans military ban. On Monday morning, newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, standing with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown outside the Pentagon, previewed executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, transgender service members, and the reinstatement of troops expelled for refusing COVID-19 vaccines. Hegseth also discussed plans for an Israel-style “iron dome” defense system.

Monday afternoon, while Trump addressed Republican lawmakers in Miami, he praised Hegseth’s confirmation and announced plans to sign several executive orders to include one for a defensive weapons system. “Next, to ensure that we have the most lethal fighting force in the world, we will get transgender ideology the hell out of our military,” Trump said, adding, “It’s going to be done.”

The Williams Institute at UCLA’s Law School estimates that 15,000 transgender people serve in the armed forces. Data shows they enlist at double the rate of cisgender Americans. A recent survey found 4.9 percent of transgender troops experienced harassment, compared to 1.7 percent of cisgender personnel.

SPARTA Pride, an organization representing transgender service members, criticized the new policy in a statement to The Advocate. “Transgender Americans have served openly and honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces for nearly a decade,” the organization said. “Thousands of transgender troops are currently serving and are fully qualified for the positions in which they serve.”

The statement highlighted the critical roles transgender personnel fill within the military, including combat arms, aviation, nuclear engineering, law enforcement, and military intelligence — fields that demand years of specialized training and expertise. SPARTA Pride further emphasized that “transgender troops have deployed to combat zones, served in high-stakes missions, and demonstrated their ability to strengthen unit cohesion and morale.”

Addressing claims that medical care for transgender individuals could disrupt readiness, SPARTA Pride noted that while some service members undergo surgery, “the recovery time and cost is minimal and is scheduled so as not to impact deployments or mission readiness,” comparing it to “a non-emergent minor knee surgery.” The group added that “the readiness and physical capabilities of transgender service members is not different from that of other service members.”

The Gender Research Advisory Council + Education, a transgender-led nonprofit, also condemned the decision, calling it harmful to the military’s effectiveness and contrary to American values. GRACE founder and president Alaina Kupec, a veteran and former U.S. Naval Intelligence officer, emphasized the ban’s destabilizing effect.

“Across the world today, countless transgender service members are defending our nation’s freedom, at the very same time their freedom is being taken away from them,” Kupec said in a statement. “These sailors, marines, airmen, and soldiers serve our country with the utmost honor. Prohibiting transgender individuals from service undermines our nation’s values and readiness at the very moment our military is needed.”

GRACE noted that the policy exacerbates existing recruitment and retention challenges, especially as military services have struggled to meet recruiting goals despite lowering some standards. “Putting in place a ban on transgender military service will create further challenges for recruitment and retention of our nation’s best citizens,” the organization said.

Modern Military Association of America, which advocates for LGBTQ+ service members, condemned the policy as a “significant step backward for military readiness and equality.”

“Trans people have served in every conflict since the Revolutionary War and have been serving openly for almost a decade with honor and integrity in every theater across the globe,” Modern Military Executive Director Rachel Branaman told The Advocate in a statement. “The trans ban was wrong in 2019, it’s wrong now, and so has every other attempt to discriminate against minority populations who want to serve and protect our country. Modern Military will work tirelessly to mitigate the devastating impact this will have on thousands of service members and their families.”

The group advised people affected by the ban that transgender service members and their families should seek support and understand their rights. Modern Military noted that affected service members are entitled to due process and, if discharged, will likely receive honorable discharges with full benefits.

This story is developing and has been updated with additional reporting.

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Christopher Wiggins

Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).
Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondents’ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).