On Wednesday, the United States (US) Government announced that the administration of President Donald Trump will begin to remove transgender troops from the military within 30 days unless they obtain a waiver on a case-by-case basis.
According to a memo issued by the Pentagon, the troops may be considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities.
The memo became public as part of a court filing in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s late January executive order that was aimed at barring military service by transgender personnel.
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To obtain such a waiver, troops must show that they have never attempted to transition, as well as demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability in the service member’s sex without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
“Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” the memo read.
Transgender Americans have faced a roller coaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly, while Trump has repeatedly sought to keep them out of the ranks.
