Latest news with #PalmCenter
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender troops will be separated from military, Pentagon says
The Pentagon revealed the specifics of its transgender troop policy in a court filing Wednesday that says any service member or recruit who has been diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria is disqualified from serving — unless they can prove they meet a specific warfighting need and adhere to severe restrictions on their day-to-day behavior. The memo effectively bans transgender members from openly serving, directing the military to identify service members who have a 'current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with,' gender dysphoria within 30 days. It directs officials to then begin separation proceedings within another 30 days. The policy memo was included in the latest court filing in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order against transgender military service, one of many hot-button issues the president made a priority to address on his first days in office. Like the executive order, the policy filed Wednesday suggests that the lethality and integrity of the military 'is inconsistent' with what transgender personnel go through as they transition to the gender they identify with, and issues an edict that gender is 'immutable, unchanging during a person's life.' Service members file lawsuit challenging Trump's trans troops order The policy provides two exceptions — if transgender personnel who seek to enlist can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, can prove they support a specific warfighting need and never transitioned to the gender they identify with while also proving over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex 'without clinically significant distress.' If a waiver is issued in either case, the applicant would still face a situation in which only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called 'Sir' or 'Ma'am.' LGBTQ advocates condemned the memo. 'The assertion that gender dysphoria is incompatible with military service is both medically unsound and a blatant disregard for the proven capabilities and dedication of transgender individuals who have served and continue to serve with distinction,' the Modern Military Association of America, an LGBTQ military advocacy group, said in a statement Wednesday. 'It sends a damaging message to the world about the values of the United States.' Gender dysphoria occurs when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. While the number of transgender troops serving is small compared to the size of the total force, the discussion surrounding these personnel has taken up a large amount of time and attention both at the White House and within the Pentagon. The military services due to medical privacy laws do not provide an exact count of transgender troops, but a 2018 independent study by the Palm Center, which researched LGBTQ issues, assessed there were an estimated 14,000 transgender troops among the more than 2 million troops serving. It was a policy Trump tried to overturn in his first term in office but the issue ended up mired in lawsuits until former President Joe Biden was elected and he overturned the ban.
Washington Post
27-02-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
In lawsuit filing, Pentagon says transgender troops can't serve unless they meet a warfighting need
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon revealed the specifics of its new transgender troop policy in a court filing Wednesday that says any service member or recruit who has been diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria is disqualified from serving — unless they can prove they meet a specific warfighting need and adhere to severe restrictions on their day-to-day behavior. The policy memo was included in the latest court filing in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order against transgender military service, one of many hot-button issues the president made a priority to address on his first days in office. Like the executive order, the policy filed Wednesday suggests that the lethality and integrity of the military 'is inconsistent' with what transgender personnel go through as they transition to the gender they identify with, and issues an edict that gender is 'immutable, unchanging during a person's life.' The policy provides two exceptions — if transgender personnel who seek to enlist can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, can prove they support a specific warfighting need and never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex 'without clinically significant distress.' If a waiver is issued in either case, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called 'Sir' or 'Ma'am.' Gender dysphoria occurs when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. While the number of transgender troops serving is small compared to the size of the total force, it's taken up a large amount of time and attention both at the White House and within the Pentagon. The military services due to medical privacy laws do not provide an exact count of transgender troops, but a 2018 independent study by the Palm Center, which researched LGBTQ issues, assessed there were an estimated 14,000 transgender troops among the more than 2 million troops serving. It was a policy Trump tried to overturn in his first term in office but the issue ended up mired in lawsuits until former President Joe Biden was elected and he overturned the ban.
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
In lawsuit filing, Pentagon says transgender troops can't serve unless they meet a warfighting need
The Pentagon revealed the specifics of its new transgender troop policy in a court filing Wednesday that says any service member or recruit who has been diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria is disqualified from serving — unless they can prove they meet a specific warfighting need and adhere to severe restrictions on their day-to-day behavior. The policy memo was included in the latest court filing in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump 's executive order against transgender military service, one of many hot-button issues the president made a priority to address on his first days in office. Like the executive order, the policy filed Wednesday suggests that the lethality and integrity of the military 'is inconsistent' with what transgender personnel go through as they transition to the gender they identify with, and issues an edict that gender is 'immutable, unchanging during a person's life." The policy provides two exceptions — if transgender personnel who seek to enlist can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, can prove they support a specific warfighting need and never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex 'without clinically significant distress.' If a waiver is issued in either case, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called 'Sir' or 'Ma'am.' Gender dysphoria occurs when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. While the number of transgender troops serving is small compared to the size of the total force, it's taken up a large amount of time and attention both at the White House and within the Pentagon. The military services due to medical privacy laws do not provide an exact count of transgender troops, but a 2018 independent study by the Palm Center, which researched LGBTQ issues, assessed there were an estimated 14,000 transgender troops among the more than 2 million troops serving. It was a policy Trump tried to overturn in his first term in office but the issue ended up mired in lawsuits until former President Joe Biden was elected and he overturned the ban.
Associated Press
27-02-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
In lawsuit filing, Pentagon says transgender troops can't serve unless they meet a warfighting need
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon revealed the specifics of its new transgender troop policy in a court filing Wednesday that says any service member or recruit who has been diagnosed with or treated for gender dysphoria is disqualified from serving — unless they can prove they meet a specific warfighting need and adhere to severe restrictions on their day-to-day behavior. The policy memo was included in the latest court filing in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's executive order against transgender military service, one of many hot-button issues the president made a priority to address on his first days in office. Like the executive order, the policy filed Wednesday suggests that the lethality and integrity of the military 'is inconsistent' with what transgender personnel go through as they transition to the gender they identify with, and issues an edict that gender is 'immutable, unchanging during a person's life.' The policy provides two exceptions — if transgender personnel who seek to enlist can prove on a case-by-case basis that they directly support warfighting activities, or if an existing service member, who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, can prove they support a specific warfighting need and never transitioned to the gender they identify with and proves over 36 months they are stable in their biological sex 'without clinically significant distress.' If a waiver is issued in either case, the applicant would still face a situation where only their biological sex was recognized for bathroom facilities, sleeping quarters and even in official recognition, such as being called 'Sir' or 'Ma'am.' Gender dysphoria occurs when a person's biological sex does not match up with their gender identity. While the number of transgender troops serving is small compared to the size of the total force, it's taken up a large amount of time and attention both at the White House and within the Pentagon. The military services due to medical privacy laws do not provide an exact count of transgender troops, but a 2018 independent study by the Palm Center, which researched LGBTQ issues, assessed there were an estimated 14,000 transgender troops among the more than 2 million troops serving. It was a policy Trump tried to overturn in his first term in office but the issue ended up mired in lawsuits until former President Joe Biden was elected and he overturned the ban.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hegseth implements Trump's ban on transgender recruits, gender-affirming medical care
Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care for all active-duty service members and said the military will no longer accept transgender recruits with gender dysphoria. This directive comes in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's executive order 13 days ago. About 15,000 transgender individuals are currently serving in the U.S. military, including active duty and reserve forces, according to the independent research institute Palm Center in 2018. This represents about 1% of 1.3 million active-duty personnel. The memo, obtained by media outlets, including ABC and The Hill, was addressed to senior Pentagon leadership and military command on Friday. "Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused," the memo said. "Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect." He added the Department of Defense would provide "additional policy and implementation guidance" to service members "with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria." The Defense Department spent about $15 million on surgical and non-surgical care for 1,892 transgender active-duty service members between 2016 and 2021, according to a Congressional Research Service report. Of that amount, $11.5 million was for psychotherapy and $3.1 million on surgeries. He explained the rationale for the ban: "The Department of Defense's mission requires Service members to abide by strict mental and physical standards," Hegseth wrote in the memo. "The lethality, readiness, and warfighting capability of our Force depends on Service members meeting those standards. "The Department must ensure it is building 'One Force' without subgroups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence Efforts to split our troops along the lines of identity weaken our Force and make us vulnerable. Such efforts must not be tolerated or accommodated," he added. Trump signed the executive order on Jan. 28, rescinding President Joe Biden administration policies that permitted transgender service members to serve openly in the military based on their gender identity. In 2017, Trump banned the service of transgender troops as ordered by President Barack Obama in 2016. Then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said transgender troops who had begun receiving treatment under the Obama-era policy were grandfathered in. Trump's new order said that receiving gender-affirming medical care is physically and mentally "incompatible with active duty." Trump's directive is being challenged in federal court in two lawsuits by LGBTQ+ rights groups on behalf of active-duty transgender service members. "By categorically excluding transgender people, the 2025 Military Ban and related federal policy and directives violate the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Fifth Amendment and the free speech guarantee of the First Amendment," states the lawsuit by the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal on behalf of six transgender military personnel. "They lack any legitimate or rational justification, let alone the compelling and exceedingly persuasive ones required. Accordingly, Plaintiffs seek declaratory, and preliminary and permanent injunctive, relief." GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a separate lawsuit of six additional active duty service members. Hegseth's memo "underscores the urgency of the need for court intervention," Shannon Minter, lead counsel of NCLR, told ABC News in a statement Monday. Trump has been targeting transgender people in other orders, including one declaring the federal government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. On Wednesday, he prohibited transgender female athletes from competing on girls and women's sports teams. Approximately, 1.6 million people in the United States identify as transgender, which is about 0.6% of the population 13 and older, according to the Williams Institute. Approximately 25% of transgender people report having undergone some form of gender-affirming surgery.
