President Trump signed Executive Order 14183, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," banning transgender people from military service and rescinding the Biden-era order that had allowed transgender individuals to enlist and receive transition-related medical care. The order declared that identifying as a gender different from one's assigned sex "conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle."
The Department of Defense subsequently issued implementation guidance on March 21, 2025, calling for medical record reviews and self-assessment questionnaires designed to identify individuals with gender dysphoria. A federal judge blocked the order on March 18, ruling the ban likely violated constitutional rights, but the Supreme Court in May 2025 allowed the administration to reinstate the ban while legal challenges continued in the Ninth Circuit. The order affected an estimated 15,000 currently serving transgender troops and signaled the broader ideological reshaping of the military under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.