US to begin immediate removal of up to 1,000 trans military members

Pentagon will give other trans service members 30 days to self-identify while it enforces recently approved ban

President Donald Trump alongaside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at the White House. File picture: Evan Vucci/AP

The Pentagon is removing the 1,000 members of the military who openly identify as trans, and giving those who have yet to openly-identify as transgender 30 days to remove themselves, according to a new directive issued Thursday.

The memo is fueled by Tuesday’s supreme court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on trans military members. The defense department has said it will follow up by going through medical records to identify others who haven’t come forward.