Pentagon orders immediate hold on gender-affirming care for transgender troops
Gender-affirming surgery is already banned in military healthcare systems but the new memo appears to target hormone therapy and other care.
Matt White
Posted 18 Hours Ago
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memo Friday banning all hormone therapy and other gender-affirming care across the Department of Defense. Gender-affirming surgery is already banned in DoD facilities and under TRICARE rules. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Sveen.
The Pentagon ordered a stop to all medical procedures associated with “affirming or facilitating a gender transition” and banned bringing in new recruits who have sought similar treatment in the past, according to a memo posted to X by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
However, the likely impact of the rules laid out in the memo is unclear since military medical services, including both on-base hospitals and TRICARE, are barred under current law from providing gender-affirming surgeries. The Pentagon did not provide numbers on how many service members have sought non-surgical gender-affirming care in recent years.
Research from 2016 to 2021 found that on average, less than 400 active-duty military members sought non-surgical treatment every year.
The memo also did not specify if dependents or retirees would also lose access to gender-affirming care. Officials at the Pentagon did not respond with details on eligibility Monday afternoon.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/hegseth-memo-transgender-care/
