Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a swift timeline for the removal of transgender individuals from the U.S. military, with the process set to begin as early as next month. In a memo dated May 8, Hegseth directed the Department of Defense to start the separation process for transgender service members, referencing President Donald Trump’s executive order as the basis for the action.
According to the memo, transgender active-duty personnel have until June 6 to voluntarily separate from the military and may be eligible for voluntary separation pay. Reserve members face a July 7 deadline. “Service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security,” Hegseth wrote.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that approximately 1,000 service members who have already self-identified as transgender will begin the voluntary separation process. The move follows the revocation of a Biden-era policy that allowed transgender individuals to serve openly in the military. That policy was reversed by President Trump upon taking office in January.
Legal battles over the ban continue, but the Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to enforce the policy while those challenges proceed. Hegseth celebrated the ruling in a video message posted to X, calling it a “victory” for Trump and stating, “This is the president’s agenda, this is what the American people voted for, and we’re going to continue to relentlessly pursue it.”
Civil rights groups condemned the decision. In a joint statement, Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which are challenging the policy in court, described the ruling as a “devastating blow to transgender service members who have demonstrated their capabilities and commitment to our nation’s defense.” They added, “By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the Court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice.”
“Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down,” the statement concluded.