Trump’s new orders set to ban transgender military service, Axe DEI

President Donald Trump is set to sign three executive orders aimed at overhauling the US military, including a ban on transgender service members, the elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

He will also sign an order of reinstatement—with backpay—of personnel discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccinations, two former Trump administration officials revealed to CNN.

This move follows the swearing-in of Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense on Saturday.

Hegseth, a long-time advocate for cultural changes in the military, has pledged to end DEI practices and remove what he describes as “woke” elements from the armed forces.

Trump initially banned transgender individuals from serving in the military during his first term in 2017, a decision that was reversed by President Joe Biden in 2021.

Last week, just hours into his second term, Trump signed an order reversing Biden’s 2021 policy, reinstating the ban.

However, the forthcoming executive order goes further, introducing new standards that address gender pronouns and argue that mental and physical readiness necessitate excluding transgender service members.

The expected order cites concerns about the medical readiness of transgender individuals, particularly during the transition process.

“It can take a minimum of 12 months for an individual to complete treatments after transition surgery, which often involves the use of heavy narcotics. During this period, they are not physically capable of meeting military readiness requirements and require ongoing medical care,” one of the officials said, referencing a fact sheet accompanying the order.

An estimated 14,000 transgender individuals were serving in the US military as of 2018, according to the Palm Center, an independent research organisation focusing on sexual minorities in the armed forces.

During Trump’s first administration, a Pentagon memo on the ban recommended exceptions for transgender service members already serving, those who joined under prior policies, individuals not requiring gender changes, and those stable in their biological sex for 36 consecutive months before enlistment. It remains unclear if the new policy will include similar exceptions.