Trump followed through on his promise.
President Donald Trump is set to sign a new executive order that will limit the ability of transgender individuals to serve in the U.S. military, reinforcing his commitment to prioritizing military readiness and unit cohesion over the inclusion of non-biological gender identities. This executive action, which will be signed Monday, directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to update medical standards that focus on enhancing the military’s effectiveness, ensuring that it stays sharp, ready, and lethal in defense of our country.
The order will also eliminate the use of gender-based pronouns within the Department of Defense (DoD), acknowledging the need to focus on biological sex when it comes to military policy. One key provision mandates that sleeping, changing, and bathing facilities will be segregated by biological sex, putting an end to policies that allowed individuals to access these spaces based on their self-identified gender. While this is not an immediate ban on transgender service members, it marks a clear shift in policy that could eventually phase out the inclusion of transgender individuals in the military.
This move is seen as a direct reversal of former President Biden’s executive order, which allowed special accommodations for gender identity within the armed forces. The Trump administration argues that Biden’s policies undermined military readiness and harmed unit cohesion, which are crucial for national security.
This order also builds on the Trump administration’s broader effort to push back against progressive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the military. In recent months, Trump and Hegseth have been pushing to eliminate DEI practices that, they argue, distract from the military’s primary mission of defending America. A GOP-backed amendment to the 2025 defense policy bill now bans irreversible transgender procedures for minors within military healthcare, further signaling a clear opposition to the use of taxpayer funds for gender-affirming treatments.
The signing of this executive order is part of a larger commitment by Trump to roll back left-wing policies in the federal government, including a day-one executive order that banned DEI policies and sidelined hundreds of bureaucrats. Trump’s administration has also ensured that government funds are not spent on transgender services, including in federal prisons, shelters, and Medicaid programs. Additionally, Trump’s orders will enforce the segregation of federal facilities by biological sex, reflecting his belief that such policies are not only practical but necessary to protect constitutional rights like freedom of speech and religion.
While this executive order does not impose a national mandate on transgender bathroom use or sports participation, many states have already passed laws in those areas, further cementing the push to maintain traditional, common-sense policies that prioritize fairness and safety for all Americans.