The Pentagon has directed the removal of transgender service members from the U.S. Army unless they obtain a waiver under specific conditions.
The directive, issued on Wednesday, was made public through a court filing related to a legal challenge against President Donald Trump’s executive order from late January, which sought to ban transgender individuals from military service.
“Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” the memo said.
According to the memo, the troops may be considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports war-fighting capabilities.
It added that to obtain such a waiver, troops must show that they have never attempted to transition, as well as demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability in the service member’s sex without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Another Pentagon memo issued earlier this month barred transgender people from joining the military and halted gender transition treatment for others who are already in uniform.
The latest memo also said that applicants for military service, who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are disqualified for military service, as are those with a history of cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment or genital reconstruction surgery.