Pentagon resumes transgender health services after judge deals Trump admin huge blow

Washington D.C.: The Pentagon will reinstate gender-affirming healthcare for transgender service members following a court ruling that struck down Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s restrictions as unconstitutional, according to Politico.

A federal appeals court in California denied the Pentagon’s request to delay the policy change while it appeals, forcing the Defense Department to comply with earlier court orders. The ruling bars the military from discharging transgender troops or denying them medical care, including hormone therapy and surgeries.

The Trump administration had argued its restrictions targeted "gender dysphoria" for medical reasons, but two federal judges ruled in March that the policy was an unconstitutional ban. The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to intervene, but for now, the military must adhere to the Biden-era standards.

The decision is a blow to the Trump administration that reinstated the transgender ban, as part of its push to boost military readiness.

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In an April 21 memo, Pentagon health official Dr Stephen Ferrara confirmed that transgender service members 19 and older can now receive gender-affirming care. The move follows a March ruling by US District Judge Benjamin Settle, who found no evidence that transgender troops harm military effectiveness.

Despite the legal defeat, Hegseth has continued his rhetoric, declaring at the Army War College that the military now has "no more gender confusion, no more pronouns". Meanwhile, Senate Democrats, led by Iraq veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), have urged the Pentagon to stop rejecting willing recruits, calling the ban "an ideological obsession".