The US Air Force is enforcing a new rule: transgender military personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria are excluded without a hearing or the right to defend themselves.
A controversial decision
The US Air Force has published an internal directive that fundamentally changes the management of transgender military personnel. From now on, any member diagnosed with gender dysphoria will be automatically dismissed from service without a prior hearing before a separation board. This new policy represents a major change: until now, each member of the military could defend their case, present their service record, or challenge the decision. Now, the procedure has been reduced to a simple notification, depriving those affected of any recourse.
This decision is accompanied by a ban on recording administrative procedures, making it impossible to contest the decision in writing. Rights groups have called the move discriminatory, denouncing the lack of transparency and the removal of the right to a fair defense.
A tense political context
The legacy of the Trump administration
This policy is in line with the executive order signed in January 2025 by Donald Trump, which bans transgender people from serving in the armed forces. In May, the Supreme Court upheld the measure, despite appeals by several associations. The Department of Defense then classified gender dysphoria as a medical condition incompatible with military service, paving the way for mass expulsions.
A gradual evolution
The timeline illustrates a step-by-step strategy.
- February 2025: The Pentagon requires transgender military personnel to comply with the gender norms assigned at birth, under penalty of exclusion.
- May 2025: The first notifications invite certain military personnel to leave the army voluntarily, sometimes with the option of early retirement.
- August 2025: The US Air Force goes one step further by eliminating hearings and imposing automatic exclusions.
This development marks a step backward from the 2016-2020 period, when transgender military personnel could serve openly after official recognition by the Obama administration.
A major technical change
The end of separation boards
Until now, separation boards offered a guarantee of fairness. These bodies allowed for the presentation of complete files, including service records, decorations, medical reports, and command evaluations. Military personnel could be assisted by a lawyer and hope for a reclassification of the procedure. The new directive removes this possibility. The mere mention of gender dysphoria in a medical file is sufficient to justify immediate termination of the contract.
Withdrawal of financial benefits
Several military personnel close to early retirement are being denied the benefits provided by the TERA (Temporary Early Retirement Authority) program. This removal results in significant financial losses and the loss of military medical coverage, which is often crucial for people who have served for more than 15 years. Experienced non-commissioned officers, some of whom have been decorated for combat missions, are thus excluded from pensions despite having served almost their entire careers.
Reactions from those most affected
Testimonials from military personnel
Voices are being raised within the US Air Force itself. Master Sergeant Logan Ireland, with fifteen years of service and several deployments, denounces the end of the fair procedure he had been promised. He was due to receive early retirement, but his application was canceled. For her part, Senior Master Sergeant Jamie Hash explains that she has lost any opportunity to defend a case illustrating her professional achievements and operational value.
These testimonies highlight the sense of injustice felt by transgender military personnel. Many claim to have served loyally for more than a decade, sometimes in combat zones, and are being thanked with administrative exclusion and no right to speak.
Reactions from associations
The Modern Military Association of America, the leading organization defending LGBTQ+ military personnel, believes that this directive “breaks trust” between the troops and the institution. It argues that this is not a medical issue but one of identity exclusion. Other associations warn of a domino effect: if the military justifies automatic exclusion for gender dysphoria, other medical or psychological diagnoses could one day be used as a pretext for arbitrary separations.
A legal and political debate
Legal action
Class action lawsuits are pending in federal courts. The plaintiffs allege a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law. Lawyers argue that the removal of separation boards amounts to a denial of due process.
Political instrumentalization
This policy illustrates the growing politicization of military personnel. Rather than being evaluated on their skills, some military personnel are being punished for ideological reasons. This logic could extend to other categories and call into question the neutrality of internal procedures, a principle that has been at the heart of the US military institution until now.
The situation raises a fundamental question: should the military remain a meritocratic structure based on competence and service, or can it be used as an instrument of identity politics? The debate goes beyond the transgender issue alone: it touches on the ability of the US armed forces to maintain cohesion and effectiveness regardless of political changes.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.