From the Civil War to the Cold War, U.S. military service members have blurred gender lines. That officially ended in 1953 when then-President and former Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in World War II Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, issued Executive Order 10450.
That order essentially banned from military service anyone who was a “criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral” person or who engaged in “disgraceful conduct” or “sexual perversion.”
In 1963, transgender individuals were singled out by Army Regulation 40-501 and refused the opportunity to serve their country based on the idea that they were mentally unfit.
Because of those two orders, LGBTQ+ individuals would have to forgo military service or come up with creative ways to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity.
In 2016, the official ban on trans individuals serving in the U.S. armed forces was ended by the Obama administration.
NBC News reported at the time that it would take a year to fully implement the change but that it would “undoubtedly have an enormous impact on the armed services as a whole and especially on the thousands of transgender troops currently serving in silence.”
Then came Trump.
In 2017, through a series of social media posts, Trump ordered a ban on transgender troops. “After consultation with my generals and military experts,” Trump tweeted, “please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military.”
That took effect in 2019.
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order reversing Trump’s order.
Fast forward to 2026, and U.S. Secretary of Defense (the Department’s name has yet to be officially changed by Congress) Pete Hegseth declared to Marines at Quantico that the military would tolerate “no fatties [and] no trannies” among its members.
According to a recent report by The New York Times, as a result of Hegseth’s war on trans individuals serving in the military, review boards would be established at bases all around the world to drum trans service personnel out of the nation’s various armed forces.
The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps are pushing back against that action.
Based on the Times article, there have been 12 transgender-related cases reviewed by Navy and Marine boards, and the vote was to retain nine of those service members.
While that sounds positive in concept, board votes are only a recommendation that must be acted on by the secretaries overseeing the various branches of service.
In the case of the Navy and Marine Corps, that would be retired USN Captain and Acting Secretary Hung Cao, appointed to the position by Trump.
The Times quoted Rachel Van Landingham, a former Air Force lawyer, as saying, “These boards are being told to do something that they know is wrong — to rubber-stamp a non-choice given to them by the administration. We’re seeing them say they’re not going to play that game. We are seeing them nullify a process they see as unjust.”
Despite the administration’s directives, some Navy and Marine board members understand the need to protect trans service members.
This story is brought to you by Rosedale Health and Wellness and Dudley’s Place.
