The US department of defense has begun implementing a directive to remove transgender troops from military service, following a green light from the Supreme Court earlier this week.
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US defense secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo on Thursday outlining that openly identifying transgender personnel must voluntarily leave the service by June 6, or face forced separation.
As per news agency Reuters, the internal instructions give active-duty service members a deadline of June 6 to self-identify, while those in reserve components have until July 7. “On conclusion of the self-identification eligibility window, the Military Departments will initiate involuntary separation processes,” Hegseth said in the memo.
The move marks a swift return to US President Donald Trump’s 2017 policy banning transgender individuals from serving openly, which had been overturned by his successor, then-US President Joe Biden, in 2021.
Trump had made ending transgender military inclusion a key campaign pledge, and his administration has consistently worked to limit transgender rights. His January 20 executive order declared that the US government would only recognise two immutable biological sexes: male and female.
According to news agency AP, about 1,000 transgender troops have already identified themselves since the earlier directive in February, which had been on hold due to court challenges. Those individuals will now “begin the voluntary separation process,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed.
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Emily Shilling, a Navy commander and one of the plaintiffs who sued to stop the policy was quoted by NBC News as saying, “I know this decision will cause fear and doubt in the ranks... To those feeling shaken, I say this: stand tall. You are not alone.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News host known for far-right positions, made his stance clear on social media, writing, “After a SCOTUS victory for @POTUS, TRANS is out at the DOD.”