US President Donald Trump late on Friday rolled back his blanket ban on transgender people serving in the military — but they will still face major restrictions in the US armed forces.
Trump signed a memorandum in August last year that effectively barred transgender people from the military, but the ban faced multiple legal challenges.
The White House has now come back with a modified version of the original plan — as with Trump’s efforts to ban travelers from several Muslim-majority countries, which was repeatedly challenged in court.
“I hereby revoke my memorandum of Aug. 25, 2017, ‘Military Service by Transgender Individuals,’ and any other directive I may have made with respect to military service by transgender individuals,” Friday’s memorandum said.
Trump instead sought to shift responsibility to two of his Cabinet secretaries.
“The secretary of defense and the secretary of homeland security, with respect to the US Coast Guard, may exercise their authority to implement any appropriate policies concerning military service by transgender individuals,” it said.
Friday’s memorandum said the two Cabinet secretaries recommended people diagnosed with gender dysphoria be barred from military service.
The US Department of Defense released a copy of a report with further details on the restrictions outlined in the memorandum.
“Transgender persons who have not transitioned to another gender and do not have a history or current diagnosis of gender dysphoria ... are eligible for service” if they meet mental and physical health standards and “are capable of adhering to the standards associated with their biological sex,” the report said.
People who have undergone gender transition treatment are barred, because it may not “fully remedy ... the mental health problems associated with gender dysphoria,” the report said, also noting the time required for treatment.
“Although the precise number is unknown, the department recognizes that many transgender persons could be disqualified under this policy,” it said.
The number of transgender troops among the US’ approximately 1.3 million active-duty service members is fairly small, with estimates topping out at 15,000.
There are some exceptions to the restrictions.
The report said people who have a history of gender dysphoria may join the military if they “can demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability — i.e. absence of gender dysphoria — immediately preceding their application.”
Those diagnosed with gender dysphoria after joining the military who do “not require gender transition” may remain, it said.
There is also an exception for people currently in the military who were diagnosed with gender dysphoria between the implementation of a policy by the administration of former US president Barack Obama allowing transgender people to serve and the start of the new Trump administration policy, the report said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese