Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on his expected nomination to be Secretary of Defense on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC..
Washington D.C. – In a significant victory for transgender rights, the Department of Defense will resume providing gender-affirming care to service members and their dependents, according to a Pentagon memo made public Thursday. The decision marks a major setback for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration’s efforts to bar transgender individuals from military service.
The memo, signed by Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Stephen Ferrara, reestablishes access to cross-sex hormone therapy, mental health care, surgical procedures, and voice therapy for transgender troops. This move returns the Pentagon to the inclusive medical policy established under President Biden, following a federal court order blocking Hegseth’s restrictive policy.
“Service members and all other covered beneficiaries 19 years of age or older may receive appropriate care for their diagnosis of [gender dysphoria],” the memo states. The policy change allows access to military and civilian medical providers through the Supplemental Health Care Program, reinstating waivers previously paused or canceled.
The decision follows a series of federal court rulings in March, including one from U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who declared the administration’s ban unconstitutional and “soaked in animus.” Another ruling from Judge Benjamin Settle found no evidence that transgender service members harm military readiness. The Pentagon is appealing these rulings, but courts have refused to let the ban take effect while litigation continues.
The Trump administration’s attempt to remove transgender troops and block new enlistments has been framed as a matter of military standards. However, judges and advocacy groups alike have rejected that rationale, pointing instead to what they describe as a discriminatory effort to exclude patriotic Americans based on identity rather than merit.
In a blistering letter to Hegseth earlier this week, 14 Senate Democrats, led by veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), called the policy “ideological” and “unscientific,” warning that excluding transgender troops undermines recruitment at a time when the military is already struggling to attract new service members.
Hegseth has championed a return to what he calls a more “lethal” military, railing against what he terms “woke” policies, including gender-affirming care. But with the courts consistently ruling against his stance, the Pentagon’s compliance with the court order signals a growing recognition that the fight may be politically motivated and legally untenable.
