The Department of Defense unveiled a dramatic policy overhaul on Wednesday, barring individuals with a current or past diagnosis of gender dysphoria—or symptoms hinting at it—from military service, effective immediately.
Signed by Darin S. Selnick, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the memorandum aligns with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” and a February 7 directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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It labels gender dysphoria’s “medical, surgical, and mental health constraints” as “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service,” spotlighting the condition’s psychological complexities as a key justification.
The 13-page memo cancels prior transgender-friendly policies—like the 2021 “In-Service Transition for Transgender Service Members” instruction—and mandates the separation of affected personnel.
It argues that service by those with gender dysphoria jeopardizes “readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity,” tying the shift to national security. The DoD now recognizes only two sexes—male and female—defined as “immutable” per Executive Order 14168, with all standards (uniforms, facilities, pronouns) locked to biological sex.
Gender dysphoria, per the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, involves a “marked incongruence” between one’s experienced gender and assigned sex, lasting at least six months, often paired with “clinically significant distress or impairment.”
Studies, like a 2021 UCLA review, peg its prevalence at 0.5–1.3% in the U.S., with higher rates of anxiety (40%), depression (up to 60%), and suicide attempts (30–50%) among those untreated—complications the DoD memo implicitly flags as risks to military rigor.
Recruits with a gender dysphoria history, including hormone therapy or surgeries, are disqualified unless granted rare waivers for “compelling Government interest” tied to warfighting needs.
Current service members face administrative separation within 30 days of identification, barring waivers requiring 36 months of stability without transition attempts.
Hormone therapy started pre-policy can continue if medically critical, but new treatments and gender-affirming surgeries are off the table—moves that could exacerbate dysphoria’s mental toll, per experts like the American Psychological Association, who warn of heightened distress without intervention.
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Separation will be honorable unless other conduct dictates otherwise, offering voluntary exit (with double pay incentives) or early retirement for those near 20 years. Affected personnel stay non-deployable, with 180 days of TRICARE post-exit. The Military Services must scour ranks within 30 days, reporting to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs by March 26.
The shift junks Obama- and Biden-era guidance—like 2016 and 2019 memos on dysphoria care—and updates core DoD rules (e.g., DoDI 6130.03 on medical standards) by June 25. Facilities access, from barracks to showers, hinges on biological sex, with exceptions only for “extraordinary operational necessity.”
Pronouns and salutations must align, too—no wiggle room for gender-neutral terms—a stance that could clash with dysphoria’s psychological strain, potentially isolating affected troops pre-separation.
The memo pitches this as a return to “high standards without special accommodations,” echoing Trump’s first-term transgender ban (axed by Biden in 2021). It frames dysphoria’s mental health burden—untreated distress, suicide risk—as a liability in a high-stakes environment.
Critics argue affirming care mitigates these risks, citing a 2022 JAMA study showing lower depression rates post-treatment, but the DoD’s betting on a uniform, distraction-free force. Monthly compliance reports start next month, signaling rigorous enforcement.
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