Transgender personnel in the United States military

Transgender personnel in the United States military
Protesters outside the U.S. Army Recruiting Center on July 26, 2017, respond to President Donald Trump's tweets that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.
Albert Cashier, a Union Army soldier in the Civil War who was born Jennie Irene Hodgers
Legal Status
Current status	No restrictions as of January 15, 2025 09:09 (UTC)
Current law	Executive Order on Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03 Department of Defense Instruction 1300.28
Previous laws	Executive Order 10450 Department of Defense Instruction 6130.03 Directive-Type Memorandum 16-005 Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security Regarding Military Service by Transgender Individuals Directive-type Memorandum-19-004 Department of Defense Instruction 1300.28
Court cases	Karnoski v. Trump Stockman v. Trump
v t e

Transgender people have served or sought to serve in the United States military (U.S. military) throughout its history. Since January 25, 2021, transgender individuals have been allowed to openly serve and enlist in the U.S. military; however President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals serving and enlisting in the U.S. military, which he plans to enact on January 20, 2025.^[1]

From June 14, 1775, to October 1949, there was no formal policy explicitly addressing transgender individuals in the U.S. military. However, societal norms and the lack of understanding of transgender identities at the time meant that anyone who openly challenged gender roles or norms would have been informally excluded or rejected. From 1949 to June 30, 2016, transgender individuals were formally banned from serving and enlisting in the U.S. military under policies that broadly categorized gender nonconformity as incompatible with military service.^[2]

In the late 1990s, transgender military advocacy began to gain visibility through individual activists and grassroots organizations. During the 2000s, groups like the Transgender American Veterans Association and the Palm Center advanced the cause with research and advocacy efforts.^[3] Since November 2013, transgender individuals have been openly serving in the U.S. military, with Sage Fox being the first openly transgender individual to serve.^[4] In the 2010s, these efforts culminated in coordinated campaigns and policy changes, including the July 13, 2015 announcement by United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter that they would begin the process of lifting the ban on transgender service members in the U.S. military.^[2]

From June 30, 2016, to January 1, 2018, transgender individuals were allowed to serve in the U.S. military in their identified or assigned gender upon achieving a medically and administratively recognized state of alignment with their gender identity. This could include gender-affirming surgery if medically necessary; however, they were not permitted to enlist during this time.^[5] The first documented case of sex reassignment surgery for an active-duty service member occurred on November 14, 2017, after being approved by the Defense Health Agency.^[6] From January 1, 2018, to April 11, 2019, transgender individuals were allowed to enlist in the U.S. military under the condition of being stable for 18 months in their identified or assigned gender.^[5]

From April 12, 2019, to January 24, 2021, transgender individuals were banned from serving or enlisting unless they obtained a waiver. Those who had undergone gender-affirming surgery were also prohibited unless they were already serving prior to April 12, 2019. Individuals with a history of gender dysphoria could enlist or serve only under their gender assigned at birth and after demonstrating 36 months of stability.^[5]

From January 25, 2021, to the present, the restrictive policies were reversed to pre-April 12, 2019, standards, allowing transgender individuals to serve openly.^[7] However, on December 22, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals serving and enlisting in the U.S. military, which he plans to enact on January 20, 2025. If implemented as described by The Times, this would reverse the policy to the pre-June 30, 2016, complete ban, barring transgender individuals from serving or enlisting, including those currently serving. The proposed policy would result in approximately 15,000 transgender individuals currently serving being medically discharged and deemed unfit for service.^[8]

Unlike bisexuals, gays and lesbians with the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, transgender service and enlistment policies in the U.S. military are not codified in United States Code, which neither allows nor prohibits transgender service and enlistment. This legal ambiguity allows for frequent policy changes via administrative and executive directives, making it a recurring issue of political contention. This dynamic serves as an example of political football, where policies are frequently revised or reversed depending on the administration in power, with five major transgender U.S. military policy changes across four United States presidential administrations in less than a decade since June 30, 2016.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}