US Navy Announces Policy Change for Sailors With Gender Dysphoria

The Department of Defense had earlier made a ruling on separating service members affected by gender dysphoria.

Officer candidates take the oath of office during a commissioning ceremony following graduation from Officer Candidate School at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island. Gregg Kohlweiss/U.S. Navy

The Department of the Navy on March 13 announced voluntary separation for sailors with a current diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria, as it will only recognize the male and female sexes, “with gender being immutable.”

The update affects military service eligibility, and sailors “impacted by these changes may request voluntary separation,” the department said in a statement. The department said it will not make active efforts to identify individuals with gender dysphoria.

“Waivers for retention or accession may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Sailors eligible for voluntary separation pay will receive twice the amount of involuntary separation pay, though this is not available to those with fewer than six or more than 20 years of service,” the statement reads.

Those who opt for voluntary separation will be placed in an administrative absence status, with full pay and benefits, until their separation is complete. The Navy has committed to the “privacy and dignity” of those impacted by the policy change.

Furthermore, the Navy said that those who separate voluntarily do not need to repay education benefits or bonuses previously received.

According to an official Navy document released by Terence G. Emmert, acting secretary of the Navy, sailors have until March 28 to request voluntary separation.

The Navy’s decision was made according to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14168, titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

The Navy document further says that a history of cross-sex hormone therapy, sex reassignment, or genital reconstruction surgery as part of gender-related treatments will be deemed disqualifying for military service applicants.

Waivers may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the secretary of the Navy.

To be eligible for the waiver, military personnel or applicants must demonstrate 36 consecutive months of stability in the individual’s sex and other important areas of functioning while meeting applicable standards associated with their sex.

Trump Cancels Biden’s Authorizations

In January 2021, after being elected as the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden signed an executive order overturning the prior Trump administration’s stance on transgender military members.

At the time, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said that all transgender individuals “who wish to serve in the United States military and can meet the appropriate standards shall be able to do so openly and free from discrimination.” The personnel were allowed to serve as their self-identified gender.

Biden’s policy change also ensured that all medically necessary transition-related treatments were made available to service members.

Trump’s executive order, issued the same day he began his second term, ordered that women’s rights be defended and protected, along with using accurate language regarding the distinction between the two sexes. He said that henceforth, women will be recognized as biologically female and men as biologically male.

Privacy in intimate spaces shall be enforced, said the order.

“Agencies shall take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology,” according to the order.

On Feb. 14, the U.S. Army said on its official X social media account: “The USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members.

“Effective immediately, all new accessions for individuals with a history of gender dysphoria are paused, and all unscheduled, scheduled, or planned medical procedures associated with affirming or facilitating a gender transition for Service members are paused.”

On Feb. 28, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a statement saying that service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria “will soon be processed for separation by their respective services.”

Moreover, the use of pronouns will be based on the individual’s sex. “In keeping with good order and discipline, salutations (e.g., addressing a senior officer as ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am’) must also reflect an individual’s sex,” according to a DOD policy memorandum.