At least one branch of the military is already turning away recruits after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to craft new policies barring transgender service members.
An executive order Trump signed Monday gave the Pentagon 30 days to report back on its plans to implement a new policy on transgender service members and 60 days to actually update the policy.
But a Navy memo dated the day after Trump signed his order directed recruiters to reject transgender applicants immediately, according to a copy of the memo obtained by Military.com.
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Asked about the memo Thursday, a spokesperson for Navy Recruiting Command confirmed its authenticity.
“Navy Recruiting Command follows all directives and policies set forth by the Department of Defense and the commander in chief,” Cmdr. Stephanie Turo said in an emailed statement. “As policies are being reviewed and aligned with the latest executive orders, all recruiting actions are conducted in accordance with applicable legal and policy guidance.”
Under the new Navy guidance, recruits who self-identify as transgender “are not eligible to process for enlistment at this time,” the memo says.
Additionally, any transgender recruits in the delayed-entry program — which allows people to enlist a year ahead of being shipped out to basic training — will have the date they ship out postponed “pending further DoD guidance,” the memo says.
If recruiters are unsure whether someone is transgender, they should continue processing the application and leave the issue to a Military Entrance Processing Station to resolve “rather than risking a potential conflict between a recruiter and an applicant,” the memo adds.
The memo also provides a script for recruiters to use when turning away transgender people.
“Thank you for your interest in serving in the United States Navy,” the memo says recruiters should say. “Due to recent policy changes, we are unable to process your application at this time. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to stay connected with your local recruiting office for future updates.”
The Navy memo appears to be the first concrete example of the services carrying out Trump’s order to ban transgender people from serving in the military because, in his view, being transgender is “not consistent” with military values.
It also indicates that the military is interpreting Trump’s order as a broad ban on all transgender people — rather than a more narrow restriction on those diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The words “gender dysphoria” are not in the Navy memo at all.
Gender dysphoria is the medical term for the distress that’s caused when someone’s gender identity does not match their sex assigned at birth, and not all transgender people are diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
When Trump banned most transgender people from serving in the military during his first term in office, the Pentagon couched it as a medical readiness issue and focused its policies on gender dysphoria.
This time, though, Trump’s order on the subject cast the very idea of being transgender as an affront to military values. In its “purpose” section, the order says that being transgender “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle” and that insisting someone recognize their gender identity “is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.”
Word that the Navy is turning away some potential recruits earlier than it is required to by Trump’s order comes after most of the military services have struggled in recent years to convince young people to join. The Navy beat its recruiting goal last year, but just by about 300 recruits and largely because of a pre-basic training program that gives recruits who don’t meet academic or fitness standards a chance to meet those benchmarks.
Asked Thursday whether Navy Recruiting Command agrees with Trump’s characterization of transgender service members as being incompatible with the military, Turo did not directly answer.
“Our focus remains on executing our mission in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies,” Turo said. “We are committed to building a strong, merit-based force that upholds the principles of fairness, excellence and dedication to duty, as outlined in the sailor’s creed and the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment.”
While Trump’s order left it to the Pentagon to work out the details of its policy, it is expected to bar new transgender recruits.
Two people actively seeking to enlist are among the eight plaintiffs in a lawsuit that was filed the day after Trump signed his order. One of those plaintiffs is working with recruiters to join the Marine Corps, according to the lawsuit. The service that the other plaintiff is seeking to join is not specified in the text of the lawsuit.
“President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military was issued without any study of the effectiveness of transgender service members during the past four years, or of any problems that may have arisen from their service, without any assessment of whether their service entailed greater costs, or without any assessment of whether any legitimate governmental concerns could be addressed by means other than a categorical ban,” the lawsuit says. “Rather than being based on any legitimate governmental purpose, the ban reflects animosity toward transgender people because of their transgender status.”
— Konstantin Toropin contributed to this story.
Related: Trump Orders Pentagon Policy Saying Transgender Troops Are ‘Not Consistent’ with Military Ideals
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