**Are transgender People Allowed in the US Army? A Look at Current Policies and History**
The topic of transgender individuals serving in the United States military has been the subject of significant debate and variation in policy over the past decade. Currently, transgender people are allowed to serve openly in the U.S. Army and other branches of the military, but this has not always been the case. The policies regarding transgender individuals have shifted under different presidential administrations, leading to changes that have impacted the lives of thousands of service members. This article will explore the history of transgender service in the military, the debate surrounding it, and the current rules that guide their participation.
Policies regarding transgender individuals serving in the military can be traced back to the long-standing prohibition on LGBTQ+ individuals serving openly — a remnant of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era that lasted from 1993 to 2011, which applied to gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members. However, even after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” under the Obama administration in 2011, transgender individuals were still unable to serve openly due to medical regulations that considered gender dysphoria and transition-related treatments to be disqualifying. It wasn’t until June 2016, during the last months of the Obama administration, that transgender people were allowed to serve openly for the first time. The change came with new medical guidelines and policies that permitted transgender individuals to transition while in service, marking a significant policy shift and a victory for transgender rights advocates.
However, this landmark progress was reversed in July 2017 when President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to serve “in any capacity” in the U.S. military, citing concerns related to medical costs and potential disruptions to military effectiveness. The Trump administration subsequently introduced a modified ban in 2019 that effectively prohibited transgender individuals from serving unless they conformed to their birth-assigned gender. This ban led to an outcry from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and a series of legal battles, as well as testimonials from transgender service members who had already been serving with distinction — some of whom were abruptly cut off from the careers to which they had devoted their lives.
When President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, one of his first actions was to reverse the Trump-era ban on transgender military service. Biden signed an executive order on January 25, 2021, that restored the ability of transgender individuals to serve openly in the military and allowed them to seek gender-affirming medical treatment while in service. The Department of Defense swiftly implemented this order, creating new guidelines to ensure that all transgender individuals, whether enlisted or seeking enlistment, would be treated equally under military policy. This marked the return of the policy closer to what was established during the Obama administration, although the effort to create a more inclusive force remains ongoing.
The debate over transgender individuals in the military is part of a broader cultural and political discussion about LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. Some opponents of transgender military service have raised concerns about potential disruptions to unit cohesion, medical costs, and readiness. However, studies — including a study by the RAND Corporation commissioned by the Department of Defense in 2016 — have concluded that allowing transgender individuals to serve has minimal impact on readiness or healthcare costs. Additionally, transgender service members and military leaders have provided extensive testimony about the positive contributions of transgender personnel, their patriotism, and their ability to perform their duties without issue.
In conclusion, as of 2023, transgender people are allowed to serve openly in the U.S. Army and other branches of the military. The current policy reflects the values of inclusivity and equal opportunity and acknowledges the contributions of transgender Americans in defending their country. However, military policies regarding transgender people are likely to remain a topic for debate, dependent on broader societal views and the political landscape of the moment. While the direction seems to be towards greater inclusivity, the history of shifts in policy underlines the importance of continued advocacy for the rights of transgender individuals in both the military and civilian sectors.
