27.02.2025 16:55
The U.S. Department of Defense announced that transgender soldiers will be discharged from the military within 30 days if they do not receive a waiver. The statement emphasized that soldiers diagnosed with gender dysphoria must meet certain conditions in order to remain in the military.
The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that transgender soldiers will be discharged from the military within 30 days if they do not receive a waiver.
TRANSGENDER SOLDIERS WILL BE DISCHARGED FROM THE MILITARY WITHIN 30 DAYS
The U.S. Department of Defense published a statement regarding transgender soldiers in the military. The statement dated February 26 indicated that procedures would be established to identify transgender soldiers within 30 days, and if they do not receive a waiver, they will be discharged from the military within 30 days.
"WAIVERS MAY BE GRANTED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS"
The statement said, "The policy of the U.S. government is to set high standards for the readiness, adaptability, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity of soldiers. Soldiers diagnosed with gender dysphoria, those who have shown symptoms consistent with this condition in the past, or those who have been diagnosed with this condition will be processed for discharge from the military. A waiver may be granted on a case-by-case basis if there is an interest in retaining a soldier whose combat capabilities are directly supported."
It was noted that waivers would only be granted if there is an interest in retaining a soldier whose combat capabilities are directly supported. It was also stated that transgender soldiers must not have experienced clinically significant distress related to their gender for 36 months in order to qualify for a waiver.
Previously, the Pentagon stated that transgender individuals would not be allowed to join the military and that procedures related to soldiers' gender transition would be halted or facilitated. The statement emphasized that this ban has been expanded to include currently serving military personnel.
A LAWSUIT WAS FILED AGAINST TRUMP'S EXECUTIVE ORDER
The Pentagon's statement was made public as part of a court filing in a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at banning transgender individuals from military service, which he signed at the end of January. Trump stated, "Expressing a false 'gender identity' that is different from an individual's sex cannot meet the strict standards required for military service."
THE NUMBER OF TRANSGENDER SOLDIERS IN THE U.S. MILITARY IS UNKNOWN
Transgender soldiers are not required to disclose their identities. Therefore, there is no clear information regarding the number of transgender individuals in the military at the Pentagon. According to Pentagon data, there are approximately 1.3 million active-duty personnel in the military. Activists claim there are about 15,000 transgender soldiers in the military, while officials state that this number is around a few thousand. According to a survey published this month by Gallup, 58% of Americans support transgender individuals serving in the military. However, this support shows a sharp decline from 71% in 2019.