As President-Elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office in January, his administration has reportedly indicated plans to implement certain policy changes that would affect transgender individuals across various sectors.
Trump's campaign spokesperson and to-be White House press secretary stated that no decisions have been made regarding discharging transgender military personnel, despite international reports claiming otherwise. The spokesperson emphasized that any official policy should only be considered as such if directly communicated by President Trump or his authorized representatives.
A nonprofit organization advocating for transgender military personnel revealed that there are approximately 15,000 transgender individuals serving in the military worldwide, including in combat zones.
During Trump's first term, he announced via Twitter in July 2017 that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military. This decision reversed the Obama administration's policy that allowed transgender individuals to serve openly and receive taxpayer-funded gender-affirming treatments while in service.
Trump cited concerns over 'tremendous medical costs and disruption' as reasons for the policy change. After legal challenges, a revised policy in 2018 prohibited individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria from serving unless they had not undergone a sex change and were stable in their biological sex.
In January 2019, the Supreme Court allowed the ban to stand amidst mounting legal challenges. However, President Joe Biden reversed the Trump-era restrictions upon taking office.
Trump also expressed intentions to make changes to gender-affirming care for minors, proposing an executive order to halt federal programs supporting or promoting sex changes at any age. He further aimed to prevent federal taxpayer dollars from funding such procedures and advocated for a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation nationwide.
Trump's campaign highlighted transgender issues in sports and healthcare, contrasting his stance with Vice President Kamala Harris' track record. An ad targeting biological males in women's sports and criticizing Harris for supporting sex change procedures for incarcerated individuals in California was aired, influencing swing voters, according to experts.
