Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced the Trump administration will begin discharging transgender service members, giving active-duty troops 30 days and reservists 60 days to voluntarily exit or face expulsion. The move follows a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that cleared the way for President Trump’s executive order restricting military service to individuals assigned male or female at birth.
The Pentagon estimates the new directive affects roughly 1,000 troops. Trump’s January order reversed a Biden-era policy allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the armed forces.
“This is the president’s agenda, this is what the American people voted for,” Hegseth said in a video posted to X, captioned: “After a SCOTUS victory for @POTUS, TRANS is out at the DOD.”
However, legal challenges continue. GLAD Law, representing 32 transgender plaintiffs, filed a brief Tuesday arguing the Supreme Court decision doesn’t override a March ruling by U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who called the administration’s policy “soaked in animus and dripping with pretext.”
Jennifer Levi, GLAD’s senior director of transgender and queer rights, condemned Hegseth’s actions, calling them “a disgrace to the military and all those who serve.”
The policy shift is part of a broader set of Trump administration actions targeting transgender rights, including restrictions on gender-affirming care, pronoun use in federal agencies, and education policies related to gender identity.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
