The US Army will update the records of transgender service members to reflect only their sex at birth, according to an internal memo reviewed by "Reuters". According to the document, it is part of a broader plan to exclude transgender people from military service.
"Commanders will take immediate action to update personnel records and administrative systems to reflect the biological sex of all individuals," the 14-page document said, emphasizing that gender is "unchangeable throughout life". Similar wording was used in a Pentagon memo dated February 26.
The move follows a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that allowed President Donald Trump's administration to enforce a ban on transgender service members. According to sources familiar with the matter, the Pentagon plans to begin removing transgender service members by June 6 unless they voluntarily resign.
In addition to the change in records, the Army document also includes other measures: the use of pronouns will be based on biological sex; addresses such as "sir" or "ma'am" will be based on the sex at birth; access to "intimate spaces" will be based on the same principle. Commanders will be required to clearly label rooms for men, women, or families.
Official figures show that there are about 4,240 transgender service members currently serving in the active duty and National Guard, although human rights groups put the number higher. Jennifer Levy of GLAD Law called the new measures “retaliatory, aggressive, and detrimental to military readiness.”
In January, Trump signed an executive order reversing Joe Biden’s policy allowing transgender people to serve openly.
A Gallup poll in February found that 58 percent of Americans support openly serving transgender people, down from 71 percent in 2019.