Overview

• On June 6, active-duty service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria must choose voluntary separation or face administrative discharge under the Pentagon directive.
• Executive Order 14183 and new guidance deem any service member with a current or past diagnosis of gender dysphoria unfit for service without provisions for grandfathering or reentry.
• Transgender service members have filed lawsuits asserting the ban is unlawful, but the Supreme Court allowed enforcement to proceed in a May ruling.
• Critics including Senator Tammy Duckworth and medical associations argue the policy is discriminatory and harmful to readiness, pointing to a 2016 RAND Corp. study showing no negative impact from transgender troops.
• Affected personnel describe the choice as crushing and face separation codes that restrict post-service employment and bar them from transition programs like SkillBridge.