New Delhi: In line with President Donald Trump’s crackdown on what he refers to as “gender ideology,” the US Army notified Saturday that it would “no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military”.
In a series of posts on ‘X’, the US Army confirmed that, effective immediately, all new enlistments of individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are suspended.
Additionally, the military will no longer perform or facilitate gender-affirming medical procedures for service members, including those already scheduled or planned.
The announcement aligned with President Trump’s 21 January executive order declaring that the federal government policy was only to recognise “two sexes, male and female,” and another 27 January order directing the Pentagon to determine a policy for transgender service members within 30 days.
The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members.
Stay tuned for more details.
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 14, 2025
In its ‘X’ post, the US Army, however, maintained that currently serving transgender individuals “will be treated with dignity and respect” as the Pentagon finalises its broader policy on transgender military service under Trump’s directives.
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History of transgender army personnel
In the United States, discussions on banning transgender individuals from military service began as early as the 1960s. Till the 1990s, LGBTQ+ individuals faced outright bans, with many discharged when their identity became public.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton introduced the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, allowing gay and lesbian individuals to serve as long as they did not disclose their sexual orientation. But this policy did not extend to transgender individuals, who remained explicitly barred due to military regulations classifying gender dysphoria as a disqualifying medical condition.
In 2011, President Barack Obama repealed DADT, granting lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members the right to serve openly. Transgender individuals were still prohibited from service until July 2015, when US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter lifted the ban on their enlistment.
The landmark decision allowed transgender individuals to enlist, serve openly, and access gender-affirming medical care. By 2016, the military officially began accepting transgender recruits, marking a historic step towards inclusivity.
During his first term from 2017 to 2021, President Trump attempted to reverse these advancements. In July 2017, he announced that transgender individuals would be banned from military service, citing concerns over medical costs and unit cohesion. Though his administration did not fully reinstate a blanket ban, it froze transgender recruitment while allowing current personnel to remain. In April 2019, it implemented restrictions preventing new transgender recruits and limiting medical care access for those already serving.
On 25 January 2021, then President Joe Biden signed an executive order overturning Trump’s restrictions, restoring the right for transgender individuals to serve openly. The Pentagon introduced new policies, allowing service members to enlist under their self-identified gender, receive gender-affirming medical treatment, and transition while in service. Biden’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin emphasised that diversity strengthened the military and that all qualified individuals should be able to serve, regardless of gender identity.
As of 2023, the US Department of Defense had approximately 1.27 million active-duty personnel, with an estimated 8,000 transgender individuals currently serving.
Additionally, a 2014 report from the Williams Institute at UCLA Law estimated that more than 130,000 transgender veterans had previously served in the US military.
At least 18 other nations, including the United Kingdom and Israel, allow transgender individuals to serve openly in their armed forces. The Netherlands was the first country to permit transgender individuals in military service in 1974.
Campaign against DEI
The crackdown on transgender military service personnel is part of Trump’s broader campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. US President Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, now a “special government employee” overseeing efficiency as part of DOGE, frequently attack DEI policies on social media.
In ‘X’ posts, Trump and Musk blamed DEI for societal issues, ranging from military readiness to economic instability.
Musk even linked it—without evidence—to the wildfires in the United States.
Not anymore pic.twitter.com/j60JzcYTal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2025
In a post on X, Musk wrote, “DEI == DIE,” implying that DEI initiatives are harmful rather than beneficial. In another post, he dismissed DEI efforts as a “scam” and a “propaganda machine”, reinforcing his alignment with Trump’s broader crackdown on diversity policies.
DEI means people DIE https://t.co/f86ZXam5oz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2025
According to an analysis by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Trump’s rhetoric and policies are fueling similar efforts in other countries, where governments are using the idea of “gender ideology” to justify restrictions on LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.
This ideological push has translated into concrete policy changes.
On 7 February, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo, suspending army recruitment of individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria and halting all gender-affirming medical care for service members, with the crackdown then extending beyond the army.
That same day, US officials instructed UNICEF to remove references to DEI and gender ideology from programmes in multiple countries, including Colombia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Paraguay, and Rwanda. Within the same week, the Trump administration implemented a nationwide ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports, arguing that it was necessary to “end the war on women’s sports”.
Before that, on 28 January, Trump signed an executive order barring gender transitions for individuals under 19, stating that the federal government will not fund or support “the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another”.
The stance also impacted federal agencies and educational institutions. On 4 February, reports emerged that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered gender-related terms to be removed from scientific papers in compliance with Trump’s directives.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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