The Pentagon Resumes Coverage for Transgender Servicemembers’ Medical Needs
In a notable policy shift, the Pentagon has announced it will once again provide sex reassignment treatments and surgeries for transgender servicemembers and their dependents. This decision, communicated via a memo issued Monday, has been highlighted in a report from Politico on Thursday.
The memo, signed by Stephen Ferrara, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, states that “Service members and all other covered beneficiaries aged 19 and older are eligible for necessary care related to their diagnosis of [gender dysphoria], encompassing mental health support, counseling, and both newly initiated or ongoing hormone therapy.” Furthermore, the memo indicates that servicemembers will also have access to voice therapy and appropriate surgical procedures.
This reversion to Biden-era transgender policies follows a court ruling that overturned changes instituted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which had barred coverage for sex reassignment procedures and hormone treatments, labeling such restrictions as “unconstitutional.”
Additionally, the judge nullified the prohibition against transgender individuals serving in the military, a mandate that stemmed from an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump during his early days in office.
According to Politico reporting:
During a Wednesday address at the Army War College, Hegseth marked the first 100 days of the Trump administration by proclaiming that there would be “no more social engineering, no more gender confusion, no more pronouns, no more excuses,” in the military.
Some officials interpreted this as a retreat by the administration, resigned to a legal defeat while persisting in a public relations campaign against the inclusion of transgender individuals in military service.
“They’ve effectively driven away most transgender individuals,” remarked a source close to the Pentagon, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue. “What’s the point of continuing a legal battle? It seems straightforward to ease up. You’ve achieved what you aimed for.”
