Several transgender members of the military, now that the Trump administration’s deadline for leaving the service has arrived, say they’re staying to fight the mandate.
The administration gave transgender military members a choice between identifying themselves as transgender and agreeing to leave voluntarily by June 6 in exchange for an honorable discharge and separation pay, or facing repercussions if they choose to fight the ban, The New York Times reported Friday.
U.S. Army Capt. Katie Benn, who is stationed at an Army air defense battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, told The Times she considered taking the separation pay and leaving, but said that since she has been in the Army for more than 12 years, she “can’t just quit.”
Instead, Benn plans to apply for a waiver, and if that is rejected, she’ll demand to have her case in front of an Army review board to make it explain why, with her background that includes being a Bronze Star recipient, she should be thrown out of the military.
According to the Pentagon, about 4,200 transgender service members are in the military, representing 0.2% of the full force, and have been serving openly since 2016.
President Donald Trump, upon taking office in January, issued an executive order to bar transgender people from serving in the military, claiming that their status contradicts a “soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”
The Trump administration said the ban is necessary, claiming that the medical needs of transgender people are expensive, and their presence disrupts morale.
Two trans troop groups sued, but the Supreme Court in May overturned a federal judge’s injunction blocking the ban.
National Guard and Reserve trans members, meanwhile, have until July 7 to agree to leave, but most are not eligible for extra pay.
Troops who refuse to leave willingly may have to repay enlistment bonuses, according to the Defense Department. It was also not clear if they would lose other benefits or get less-than-honorable discharges.
In May, the Pentagon said about 1,000 transgender military members agreed to voluntarily leave the service, but the department hasn’t provided updated figures this week as the deadline neared.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Emily Shilling, a fighter pilot and president of the transgender military advocacy group SPARTA, said that about half the trans troops appear to be taking the voluntary option to leave early.
She said she opted to leave because receiving an involuntary discharge could hinder her from getting the security clearances she would need in the defense industry, where she has had offers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended Trump’s directive and said it was among the reasons Americans voted for him, reported NBC News??.
Hegseth has said that the Pentagon is “leaving wokeness and weakness behind,” and that will include “no more dudes in dresses.”
An unnamed Department of Defense official told NBC News that it will “treat our service members with dignity and respect as they are removed.”
Hegseth issued a directive that military commanders will be told to identify troops with gender dysphoria and send them for medical checks that would result in removing them from the service. The evaluation could take months, however, as they depend on annual medical checks that could take time to schedule.
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