Current Version
| Region | United States |
| Issue | Serving openly in military |
| Status | Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned |
| Start Date | Sep 20, 2011 |
| End Date | Jun 30, 2016 |
| Description | On 20 September 20, 2011, the repeal of the Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces, commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), took effect, ending the statutorily bar on open service and restoring open enlistment for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the United States (US) Armed Forces. After DADT ended on 20 September 2011, former service members who had received less-than-honorable discharges solely because of DADT or earlier homosexuality policies could normally seek correction to an honorable discharge, a neutral narrative reason, and a favorable reentry code, so long as their records contained no misconduct or other aggravating factors. Starting on 6 March 2015, the US armed services began limiting routine transgender-related discharges by elevating separation authority: in the Army, to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; effective 5 June 2015 in the Air Force, to the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council for recommendation and the Director of the Air Force Review Boards Agency for decision; and, effective 1 July 2015, in the Navy and Marine Corps, to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. On 9 June 2015, the US Department of Defense (DoD) added sexual orientation to its Military Equal Opportunity policy. On 13 July 2015, the US DoD effectively paused routine transgender-related administrative discharges by requiring all such separation decisions to be personally decided by Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Brad Carson. |
| Sources | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ321/pdf/PLAW-111publ321.pdf https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=2012&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2012-title10-section654 https://www.war.gov/Spotlights/Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell-Resources/ https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/18/2003303089/-1/-1/0/CORRECTION-OF-MILITARY-RECORD-FOLLOWING-REPEAL-OF-SECTION-654-OF-TITLE-10.PDF https://time.com/3736103/trangender-troops-army-military/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/06/05/air-force-takes-step-toward-standardizing-treatment-of-transgender-troops/ https://dallasvoice.com/air-force-change-policy-removal-transgender-troops/ https://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/07/02/navy-marine-corps-raise-authority-for-trans-separations/ https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/604797/dod-updates-equal-opportunity-policy-to-include-sexual-orientation/ https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/612778/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-ash-carter-on-dod-transgender-policy/ |
| Federal Law | Yes |
Revision History (7)
| Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Legal | Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned |
| Start Date | Mar 18, 2025 | Sep 20, 2011 |
| End Date | May 7, 2025 | Jun 30, 2016 |
| Description | On the evening of March 18th, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. The judge said that not only was the order unconstitutional but “a solution in search of a problem.”. | On 20 September 20, 2011, the repeal of the Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces, commonly known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), took effect, ending the statutorily bar on open service and restoring open enlistment for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the United States (US) Armed Forces. After DADT ended on 20 September 2011, former service members who had received less-than-honorable discharges solely because of DADT or earlier homosexuality policies could normally seek correction to an honorable discharge, a neutral narrative reason, and a favorable reentry code, so long as their records contained no misconduct or other aggravating factors. Starting on 6 March 2015, the US armed services began limiting routine transgender-related discharges by elevating separation authority: in the Army, to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; effective 5 June 2015 in the Air Force, to the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council for recommendation and the Director of the Air Force Review Boards Agency for decision; and, effective 1 July 2015, in the Navy and Marine Corps, to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. On 9 June 2015, the US Department of Defense (DoD) added sexual orientation to its Military Equal Opportunity policy. On 13 July 2015, the US DoD effectively paused routine transgender-related administrative discharges by requiring all such separation decisions to be personally decided by Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Brad Carson. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5202080-trump-transgender-military-ban/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-transgender-military-ban-blocked-b2717592.html https://www.advocate.com/news/trump-trans-military-ban-blocked https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-blocks-trumps-executive-order-barring-transgender-people-from-the-military/ | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ321/pdf/PLAW-111publ321.pdf https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=2012&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2012-title10-section654 https://www.war.gov/Spotlights/Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell-Resources/ https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/18/2003303089/-1/-1/0/CORRECTION-OF-MILITARY-RECORD-FOLLOWING-REPEAL-OF-SECTION-654-OF-TITLE-10.PDF https://time.com/3736103/trangender-troops-army-military/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/06/05/air-force-takes-step-toward-standardizing-treatment-of-transgender-troops/ https://dallasvoice.com/air-force-change-policy-removal-transgender-troops/ https://www.washingtonblade.com/2015/07/02/navy-marine-corps-raise-authority-for-trans-separations/ https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/604797/dod-updates-equal-opportunity-policy-to-include-sexual-orientation/ https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/612778/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-ash-carter-on-dod-transgender-policy/ |
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| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Mar 27, 2025 | Mar 18, 2025 |
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Mar 18, 2025 | Mar 27, 2025 |
| End Date | May 5, 2025 | May 7, 2025 |
edited by jadeywadey. new information
Helpful?
2 | Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| End Date | (none) | May 5, 2025 |
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Sources | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5202080-trump-transgender-military-ban/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-transgender-military-ban-blocked-b2717592.html https://www.advocate.com/news/trump-trans-military-ban-blocked | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5202080-trump-transgender-military-ban/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-transgender-military-ban-blocked-b2717592.html https://www.advocate.com/news/trump-trans-military-ban-blocked https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-blocks-trumps-executive-order-barring-transgender-people-from-the-military/ |
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edited by jadeywadey. adding sources and information.
Helpful?
0 | Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Mar 19, 2025 | Mar 18, 2025 |
| Description | On the evening of March 18th, a federal judge blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. | On the evening of March 18th, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. The judge said that not only was the order unconstitutional but “a solution in search of a problem.”. |
Show Difference | ||
| Sources | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5202080-trump-transgender-military-ban/ | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5202080-trump-transgender-military-ban/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-transgender-military-ban-blocked-b2717592.html https://www.advocate.com/news/trump-trans-military-ban-blocked |
Show Difference | ||
created by jadeywadey
Helpful?
0 | Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Legal |
| Federal Law | Yes |
| Start Date | Mar 19, 2025 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | On the evening of March 18th, a federal judge blocked the implementation of Trump's executive order banning transgender people from the military. |
| Sources | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5202080-trump-transgender-military-ban/ |