It is clear that this is effectively a complete ban on transgender people serving in the military that impacts both transgender Americans interested in enlisting or acceding and the thousands of highly trained transgender troops currently protecting our country.

Just like segregation and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the ban on transgender people serving in our military is a stain on our nation’s military history. There is no reason–other than fear or animus–to reinstate a ban. 

Our servicemembers, including thousands of transgender troops, wear the same uniform, take the same oath, and meet the same rigorous standards. They are heroes who put their lives on the line to protect our country—and we owe them all a debt of gratitude.

Our military must be able to recruit the best candidates, retain the highly-trained servicemembers who have already sacrificed so much for their country, and every qualified patriot should be able to serve openly, free of discrimination. Banning entire groups of people for political purposes only hurts military readiness. 

There are thousands of transgender service members currently serving. Transgender service members wear the same uniform, take the same oath, and are held to the exact same rigorous standards as every other service member. They simply are not arbitrarily barred from service because of their gender identity. 

Transgender troops have been serving openly and successfully since 2016, including hundreds who have deployed to combat zones. The Chiefs of Staff to each military branch have testified that there have been no negative impact on readiness. Additionally, data obtained by the Pentagon has shown that the cost of providing medical care to transgender troops has been miniscule. The American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and American Psychiatric Association all oppose the ban, stating that there is no medical reason transgender troops should be barred from serving. 

Background 

For decades, transgender people were prohibited from serving openly in the U.S. military based on outdated and discriminatory medical standards. However, following a year-long intensive working group studying the “policy and readiness implications,” the Pentagon lifted the ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military on June 30, 2016, acknowledging that it is in the military’s best interest to recruit and retain the best troops, regardless of their gender identity.

Shockingly, in July 2017, President Trump decided on a whim to reinstate a ban on transgender people serving in the military, which he announced via Twitter. The ban was partially implemented while litigation proceeded. Thankfully, in January 2021, President Biden signed an executive order lifting the misguided ban because it is harmful to the military to exclude qualified service members. 

Despite the success of transgender people serving in the military, and the lack of any negative impact, on January 27, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order that both reinstated and expanded on his first administration’s ban on transgender military servicemembers. While the executive order does not include details on implementation, it directs the Department of Defense to issue guidance necessary to implement within 30 days.