The US Army has banned transgender individuals from joining in accordance with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order mandating the same.
“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,” announced the Army via X.
The ban comes after President Trump’s executive order declared that individuals suffering from gender dysphoria, i.e., the belief that one’s gender is inconsistent with one’s physical sex, are unfit for military service.
“Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect,” assured the Army.
Transgender surgeries and treatments can cost tens of thousands of dollars which, if requested by military servicemembers, would have to be extracted from the US military’s budget.
According to Military.com, the US Department of Defense has spent millions of dollars shouldering transgender individuals’ health expenses.
However, Trump’s executive order claimed medical interventions were not the sole cause of the decision to bar transgender individuals from military service.
“Beyond the hormonal and surgical medical interventions involved, adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life,” reads the order.
The order continued, claiming that “a man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”
Ongoing, planned, or requested ‘gender-affirming’ care for US Army members has currently been frozen.
Other branches have yet to announce similar bans but are expected to do so to comply with Trump’s order.
Recent reports estimate there are anywhere from 1 to 6 thousand military servicemembers who identify as transgender.
