Ban on Transgender Military Service

This term refers to United States policies that have moved back and forth on whether transgender people can serve openly in the military. In 2016 the Obama administration lifted the existing ban. In 2017 President Trump announced a new ban, which after court battles took effect in a limited form in 2019. President Biden reversed it in January 2021, restoring open service. In January 2025 President Trump again ordered a ban, this time broader and directed at people with gender dysphoria, with no exceptions for those already serving. On May 6, 2025 the Supreme Court allowed that policy to take effect while litigation continued. LGBTQ+ legal groups called it discriminatory and unrelated to readiness.