According to AlamogordoTownNews.org, a change in military policy requires transgender people to leave voluntarily or face being forced out.
The policy, which was released to the fleet as a NAVADMIN after being filed in court by administration officials defending the ban against a lawsuit, is consistent with the Defense Department-wide policy announced last month, which stated that service members who choose to separate would be eligible for twice as much separation pay as they would receive if they were later kicked out.
According to military policy, a “individual’s sex is immutable, unchanging during a person’s life,” “After 28 March 2025, the [Department of the Navy] will initiate involuntary administrative separation for these personnel and others who are disqualified for military service.”
Even as the services implement their policies, a federal court appears poised to prevent the transgender service ban from taking effect.
At least two lawsuits have been filed against it, and a federal judge in Washington, D.C., who is hearing arguments in one of them, appears to be skeptical of the Trump administration’s defenses. At a hearing Wednesday, the judge stated that she expects to rule by next week on whether to prevent the ban from taking effect while the lawsuit is pending.
According to AlamogordoTownNew.org, the Pentagon is moving to prohibit transgender people from serving in the military in order to carry out an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January, which stated that being transgender is “not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”
According to Military.com, Pentagon officials have not provided any details or examples to back up their claim.
The Pentagon’s policy to implement Trump’s order states that troops with a history of gender dysphoria, who “exhibit symptoms” of gender dysphoria, or who have transitioned to their gender identity are ineligible for service.
Gender dysphoria is a medical term that refers to the distress caused by someone’s gender identity not matching their assigned sex.
The policy also includes some exemptions, but advocates argue that the requirements for a waiver are impossible for any transgender service member to meet.
To be eligible for a waiver, a transgender service member must be stable in their birth sex for 36 months, have never transitioned to their gender identity, and be willing to serve in their birth sex.
The military service must also demonstrate a “compelling government interest in retaining the service member,” which was later clarified to mean that the service member possesses some type of special skill or training.
The offer for sailors and Marines who self-identify as eligible for discharge, while driven by Pentagon policy, is generous and unique for the Department of the Navy, which includes the Marine Corps.
According to the policy, those who request voluntary separation by March 28 will receive double the normal involuntary separation pay.
Normally, involuntary separation pay is 10% of a service member’s annual base pay multiplied by the number of years served.
Some of the publicly serving transgender service members — both officers and enlistees — have been serving for more than a decade, so these payments could easily exceed $100,000 even before being doubled.
They will also have any remaining service obligation waived, and they will not be required to repay any bonuses related to their service obligation received prior to February 26, 2025.
