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According to reports, President-elect Donald Trump intends to sign an order prohibiting transgender people from joining the military on his first day in office.
According to The Times, this contentious policy may result in the “medical discharge” of some 15,000 active-duty service personnel, thus declaring them unsuitable for military duty.
Since recruiting is a problem for all branches of the military, the planned presidential order, which is scheduled for January 20, 2025, would also prohibit transgender people from joining.
The 78-year-old Trump has named Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, as his choice to head the Department of Defense.
Hegseth has pledged to end what he calls “woke” initiatives in all government departments.
“You can’t integrate trans people as easily as people of different races because being transgender in the military causes complications and differences,”
Hegseth said in a recent podcast interview, characterizing the inclusion of transgender individuals in the military as “pushing boundaries.”
Additionally, Hegseth said that since transgender military personnel depend on medical interventions, they are “not deployable.”
This is not the first time Trump has attacked military transgender personnel. Trump said on Twitter in 2017 that transgender people would no longer be permitted to serve while he was president.
The White House said at the time that there was “considerable risk to military effectiveness and lethality” in keeping soldiers who had a history of “gender dysphoria,”
Which might need extensive medical treatment. The military “cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,” according to Trump, who defended the action.
Prior to this change, the Obama administration permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military, which sparked initiatives to emphasize the achievements of transgender soldiers.
For instance, during a difficult time in 2017, Major Jason Vero, a transgender Air Force pilot and director of the Joint Base Andrews Air Show, spoke about his transition.
“With my head barely above the water, I felt lost in the ocean,” Vero said. “I decided to transition after talking with my pastor.”
Likewise, U.S. Army Sustainment Command Cyber Division Chief Major Rachel Jones said her life was saved by her ability to serve truthfully as a transgender woman.
According to Jones, “I was certain that my transgender identity made me intrinsically bad.” “I grew up depressed and suicidal because of the constant pressure to hide.” The Pentagon has allegedly spent over $26 million since 2020 on transgender military members’
Medical treatment, including $7.6 million for gender-affirming procedures, $1.5 million for hormone therapy, and $17.5 million for psychotherapy.
These treatments include mastectomies, face reconstruction, and, in rare instances, operations like scrotoplasties and vaginectomies.
In order to care for almost 9.6 million active-duty soldiers, retirees, and their families under TRICARE health insurance, the U.S. Military Health System spends around $50 billion a year.
Although gender-affirming operations are normally not covered by TRICARE, active-duty members may be eligible for exemptions for treatments that are judged medically essential.
Approximately 0.3% of all active-duty military members, or 3,700 people, have received a diagnosis and treatment for gender dysphoria as of April 2024.
This is less than the 0.6% of transgender people in the general U.S. population. Because transgender people are now more widely accepted in society, the number has climbed from 1,892 in 2020.
The most prevalent procedures were face reconstruction operations that were intended to enhance either masculine or feminine traits.
Mastectomies and uncommon operations like clitoroplasties and scrotoplasties were among the additional treatments.
In 2022, three military members also received voice training to assist them match their gender identification with their communication style.
Transgender military service is still a controversial topic that touches on issues of medical expenses, military preparedness, and the general acceptance of gender diversity in society.