The US military will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the armed forces and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members, according to a memo from defense secretary Pete Hegseth filed in court Monday.
A US federal judge recently asked lawyers for Trump’s second presidential administration to ensure that six military members who sued to stop the executive order targeting transgender troops are not removed from service before further court proceedings are held.
US military will no longer accept trans troops, Pete Hegseth’s memo says Trump’s defense secretary filed the memo in line with an executive order signed by the president.
In the lawsuit, two of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy groups wrote: “Transgender service members take the same oath as every other service member to serve our nation and place themselves in harm’s way – potentially paying the ultimate price – in service of our country.
The memo from Hegseth cited Trump’s executive order, stating: “As the president clearly stated … ‘expressing a false “gender identity” divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service’.”.
