(NewsNation) — The U.S. Army has banned transgender people from joining its ranks and ended gender-affirming care for service members, the military branch announced Friday.
In a post on X, the official U.S. Army account said that “all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused.”
The new policies are effective immediately, the Army’s post confirmed.
The change comes just weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for a revision of gender policy in the military. The president said that transgender service members’ identities conflict “with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”
The president’s order points to those diagnosed with gender dysphoria, or distress felt when assigned sex and gender don’t match. The U.S. Army’s thread of posts point to this term as well, concluding: “Individuals with gender dysphoria have volunteered to serve our country and will be treated with dignity and respect.”
In the wake of the order, six active duty service members filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.
“I’ve spent more than half my life in the Army, including combat in Afghanistan,” Army Sgt. 1st Class Kate Cole told The Associated Press. “Removing qualified transgender soldiers like me means an exodus of experienced personnel.”
The lawsuit is being filed by the same legal team that spent years during Trump’s first administration fighting the Republican ban on transgender troops, which the Supreme Court allowed to take effect even as the legal fight against it continued in the courts. Joe Biden scrapped the ban when he took office.
One of the plaintiffs, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, said in a statement: “There’s nothing about being transgender that makes me better or worse than any other soldier I serve alongside. We are all here because we are committed to our country, and we are passionate, willing, and able to serve effectively.”
According to the Associated Press, estimates place the number of transgender troops at 9,000 to 12,000, though it’s hard to know for certain due to medical privacy laws.
Just last week, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Board of Governors voted to change its policy on transgender athletes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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