A divided United States Supreme Court on Tuesday permitted President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military to take effect while ongoing legal challenges continue—putting thousands of service personnel at risk of dismissal.
The decision, opposed by the court’s three liberal justices, marks a significant victory for Trump, who has prioritised the rollback of transgender rights during his second term. He has frequently criticised the judiciary for obstructing elements of his agenda.
The ban had previously been halted by a lower court ruling, following a lawsuit filed by Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Both organisations condemned the Supreme Court’s decision, calling it “a devastating blow” to transgender troops who have “proven their capability and dedication to defending the nation.”
“Transgender individuals meet the same standards and uphold the same values as all service members. We firmly believe this ban breaches the constitutional guarantee of equal protection and will ultimately be overturned,” the groups said in a joint statement.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the decision on social media, describing it as “another MASSIVE victory” and stating that Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth are “restoring a military focused on readiness and lethality — not DEI or woke gender ideology.”
Hegseth echoed this sentiment on his own X account, posting: “No More Trans @ DoD.”
Trump’s policy direction was formalised in an executive order issued on 27 January, declaring that identifying as a gender different from one’s biological sex is incompatible with the “rigorous standards” of military service.
The Pentagon subsequently issued a memorandum in February stating that transgender service members would face removal unless granted a waiver. The same policy also bars new transgender recruits from enlisting.
With the Supreme Court allowing the ban to proceed, thousands of currently serving transgender personnel could now face discharge. According to a senior defence official, there were approximately 4,240 service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the end of last year. The policy also targets individuals with a history or symptoms of the condition.
Transgender military policy in the US has swung dramatically over recent years. Under President Barack Obama’s administration, the military lifted its ban on transgender service in 2016, allowing those already enlisted to serve openly and paving the way for new recruits from July 2017.
However, Trump’s administration initially delayed this policy before ultimately reversing it. Despite legal challenges that modified aspects of the ban, the restrictions officially came into effect in April 2019.
President Joe Biden reversed the ban shortly after taking office in 2021, but Trump’s re-election last year has revived his efforts to curtail transgender rights, especially in the military.
Transgender issues have become a flashpoint in American politics, with Democratic- and Republican-led states advancing vastly different policies—from healthcare access to censorship of literature related to gender identity in schools and libraries.