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Another campaign promise kept: Trump bans transgender people from serving in the military

There are currently an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 trans people actively serving in the military.

Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House.Jim Watson / AFP.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order reversing a policy implemented by former President Joe Biden in 2021, which allowed transgender people to serve in the military.

In his inaugural address, Trump had promised to reinstate the ban on transgender soldiers in the military, a measure he himself had implemented during his first term. The president stressed in his speech that there are only two genders, male and female, making it clear that no further categories would be recognized in the Armed Forces. With this new order, Trump fulfills his electoral promise to modify the policy on the inclusion of transgender people in the military.

Impact of the measure

Currently, it is estimated that between 9,000 and 14,000 transgender people are actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. With the repeal of this policy, these individuals will no longer be able to enter or remain in military service under the new guidelines.

Criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs

Repealing this policy is part of Trump's broader campaign to reduce the influence of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies on the government. The White House criticized the DEI programs pushed by the Biden administration, claiming these initiatives have "corrupted them by replacing hard work, merit, and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy." Trump has reiterated his focus on strengthening the effectiveness and lethality of the military, displacing policies that he says weaken the military's combat capability.

Department of Defense reforms

In addition to repealing the transgender policy, Trump has taken other steps to change the focus of the Department of Defense. Most recently, he appointed Matthew Lohmeier as undersecretary of the Air Force. Lohmeier, who was fired in 2021 for publicly criticizing diversity programs in the military, has argued that these policies weaken the cohesion of the Armed Forces and promote ideas contrary to the nation's interests.

Other related measures

The new executive order also introduces several measures affecting various areas of the federal government. Chief among them is a ban on the use of public funds for "transgender services," including medical treatment for transgender prisoners in federal prisons. In addition, the order requires federal prisons and shelters to be segregated by biological sex. It limits the use of pronouns that do not correspond to the sex assigned at birth in workplaces and government facilities.

Although the order does not place federal restrictions on transgender people's access to bathrooms or sports competitions, several states have already adopted laws in these areas. Debate on these issues is expected to continue in Congress in the coming months.

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