Key points
- To begin removing trans gender troops within 30 days
- Troops may be “considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis
- Transgender people have faced a roller coaster of changing policies
WASHINGTON, United States: The United States will begin removing transgender troops from the military within 30 days unless they obtain a waiver on a case-by-case basis, the Pentagon said in a Wednesday memo.
“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,” according to the memo, which was released as part of a court case, according to AFP.
Case-by-case basis
According to AFP, these 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,” it said.
According to CBS News, the memo became public as part of a court filing in a case challenging President Trump’s late January executive order that was aimed at barring military service by transgender personnel.
A roller coaster
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.”
Transgender people 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 Mr. Trump has repeatedly sought to keep them out of the ranks.
The US military lifted a ban on transgender troops in 2016, during then-President Barack Obama’s second term, according to CBS News.
