US military to start kicking out transgender troops next month, says memo

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued internal instructions to the Pentagon to start kicking out transgender troops who do not elect to leave on their own by June 6, according to a memo obtained by Reuters.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The decision was immediately condemned by transgender rights activists. “It is just shameful,” said Jennifer Levi, a senior director at the pro-LGBTQ legal group GLAD Law. “It is senseless to fast track people out of the military who are meeting standards and putting lives on the line to defend the country.”

Hegseth’s memo illustrates how President Donald Trump’s administration intends to swiftly act to remove thousands of transgender service members after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Tuesday cleared the way for a ban to take effect. In the memo, Hegseth said active duty transgender troops could identify themselves for “voluntary separation” from the US armed forces until June 6. Troops who are in the reserve forces had until July 7. “On conclusion of the self-identification eligibility window, the Military Departments will initiate involuntary separation processes,” the memo said.