The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that transgender soldiers will be discharged from the military within 30 days if they do not receive an exemption. It was noted that on a case-by-case basis, an exemption could be granted if there is a specific benefit to retaining a soldier directly supporting combat capabilities.

The US Department of Defense issued a statement regarding transgender soldiers in the military. In the statement dated February 26, it was mentioned that a procedure would be established to identify transgender soldiers within 30 days, followed by their discharge from the military within the same timeframe if they do not receive an exemption.

The statement read, “The US government’s policy is to set high standards for the preparation, compatibility, honesty, humility, consistency, and integrity of soldiers. Soldiers diagnosed with gender dysphoria, showing symptoms consistent with this disorder in the past, or those affected by this illness will be processed for discharge from the military. An exemption could be granted on a case-by-case basis if there is a specific benefit to retaining a soldier directly supporting combat capabilities.”

It was stated that the exemption would only be granted if there is a specific benefit to retaining a soldier directly supporting combat capabilities. Additionally, transgender soldiers must clinically not experience significant distress related to their gender identity for 36 months to be eligible for an exemption.

LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER

The Pentagon’s statement was made public as part of the file submitted to the court in a lawsuit against the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump aiming to ban transgender individuals from military service in late January. Trump had stated, “An individual expressing a fake ‘gender identity’ different from their biological sex cannot meet the strict standards required for military service.” THE NUMBER OF TRANSGENDER SOLDIERS IN THE MILITARY IS UNKNOWN

Transgender soldiers are not required to disclose their identities. Therefore, there is no clear information available about the number of transgender individuals in the military at the Pentagon.

According to Pentagon data, there are approximately 1.3 million active duty personnel in the military. Activists claim there are around 15,000 transgender soldiers in the military, while officials state that the number is around a few thousand.

According to a survey published by the Gallup research company this month, 58% of Americans support transgender individuals serving in the military. However, this support has sharply decreased from 71% in 2019.