Transgender personnel in the United States military

Transgender personnel in the United States military
Protesters outside the U.S. Army Recruiting Center on July 26, 2017, respond to President Donald Trump's tweets that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.
Albert Cashier, a Union Army soldier in the Civil War who was born Jennie Irene Hodgers
Legal Status
Current status	As of March 28, 2025, at 22:59 UTC (6:59 p.m. EDT), service and enlistment of transgender individuals and access to publicly funded gender-affirming surgeries were allowed in the U.S. military.
Current law	Executive Order 14183 Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness
Previous laws	Executive Order 10450 Army Regulation 40-501: Standards of Medical Fitness Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 1332.14 – Enlisted Administrative Separations DoD Directive 1332.30 – Separation of Regular Commissioned Officers Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 6130.03 – Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction into the Military Services Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 16-005: Military Service of Transgender Service Members Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security Regarding Military Service by Transgender Individuals DoDI 1300.28: In-Service Transition for Transgender Service Members DTM-19-004: Military Service by Transgender Persons and Persons with Gender Dysphoria DoDI 1300.28: Military Service by Transgender Persons and Persons with Gender Dysphoria Executive Order on Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform DoDI 1300.28: In-Service Transition for Transgender Service Members DoDI 6130.03: Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction into the Military Services
Court cases	Talbott v. United States Doe v. Trump Human Rights Campaign Foundation & Lambda Legal v. Trump Karnoski v. Trump Stockman v. Trump
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Transgender people have served or sought to serve in the United States military (U.S. military) throughout its history. Since January 25, 2021, transgender individuals have been allowed to openly serve in the U.S. military. Since March 21, 2025, transgender individuals have been allowed to enlist in the U.S. military and access publicly funded gender-affirming surgeries. From June 14, 1775, to as early as 1960, there was no formal policy explicitly addressing transgender individuals in the U.S. military. However, societal norms and the lack of understanding of transgender identities at the time meant that anyone with a transgender identity would have been informally excluded or rejected. From as early as 1960 to June 30, 2016, transgender individuals were formally banned from serving and enlisting in the U.S. military under policies that broadly categorized gender nonconformity as incompatible with military service.^[1]

From June 30, 2016, to April 11, 2019, service and access to publicly funded gender-affirming surgeries for transgender individuals were allowed in the U.S. military, with enlistment also permitted from January 1, 2018 to April 11, 2019.^[2][3] From April 12, 2019, to January 25, 2021, service and enlistment of individuals with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria, individuals who had undergone gender transition, and access to publicly funded gender-affirming surgeries were effectively banned in the U.S. military under the Trump administration’s transgender military policy, except in limited cases where a waiver was granted, for exempt individuals—specifically those who had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by a military medical provider and had initiated gender transition prior to April 12, 2019—or for applicants who had been stable in their biological sex for 36 consecutive months without gender transition-related treatment and who committed to serve in their biological sex.^[4][5]

From January 25, 2021, to February 7, 2025, excluding the U.S. Navy, which rejected all transgender applicants from January 28 to February 7, 2025, service and enlistment of transgender individuals and access to publicly funded gender-affirming surgeries were allowed in the U.S. military.^[6] From February 7, 2025, to March 21, 2025, at 23:00 UTC, enlistment and access to publicly funded gender-affirming surgeries for transgender service members in the U.S. military were first paused and later banned on February 26, 2025. ^[7][8]

On March 18, 2025, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes issued a preliminary injunction in Talbott v. United States, blocking the enforcement of the transgender military ban. The injunction was originally scheduled to take effect on March 28, 2025, at 10:01 a.m. EDT (14:01 UTC), but Judge Reyes administratively stayed her own order until 7:00 p.m. EDT (23:00 UTC) that same day to give the United States Department of Justice time to appeal. On March 21, 2025, the United States Department of Defense issued a memorandum halting implementation of the transgender military ban due to a preliminary injunction.^[9]

On March 27, 2025, the district court in Shilling v. United States issued a preliminary injunction.^[10] On April 18, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowed the injunction to remain in effect. On April 24, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to lift the injunction.^[11]

Unlike bisexuals, gays and lesbians with the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, transgender service and enlistment policies in the U.S. military are not codified in United States Code, which neither allows nor prohibits transgender service and enlistment. This legal ambiguity allows for frequent policy changes via administrative and executive directives, making it a recurring issue of political contention. This dynamic serves as an example of political football, where policies are frequently revised or reversed depending on the administration in power, with five major transgender U.S. military policy changes across four United States presidential administrations in less than a decade since June 30, 2016.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}