This past Tuesday, 6 May 2025, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can enforce its ban on transgenderism in the United States Armed Forces. The reactions on social media can be grouped into three distinct categories:
- People screaming that this ruling is horribly discriminatory and who believe anyone should have the "right" to serve in the military. These are usually far left voters who have never served.
- People gloating about this ruling because they'd love nothing more than to see transgenderism completely and utterly erased from existence. These are usually far right voters who have never served.
- People who have either served or who grew up in a family with someone who served (parent/spouse) who fully understand how the military works and why this ban is justified. These folks are across the political spectrum (although, to be fair, many skew conservative rather than liberal).
I am firmly in the third group.
DoD Instruction 6130.03 - Volume 1; "Medical Standards for Military Service: Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction" provides an extensive list of health and medical conditions that disqualify candidates from serving in the Armed Forces. Here are a handful of examples that are permanent disqualifications (PDQs):
- Food allergies such as peanut or shellfish allergies.
- Drug allergies, such as a penicillin allergy.
- Skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and acne rosacea.
- Asthma that persists beyond the age of 13 years.
- Inflammatory bowel disorders such as Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, or diverticulitis.
- Anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and depressive disorders.
These are but a few from the list. Note the common theme of these conditions: These are all chronic medical issues that require persistent access to medication and/or medical care.
The primary role of the military is to be prepared to defend our country by force. As such, this requires all members be "deployment ready" at all times, even if the likelihood of deployment is small. Chronic medical conditions that need daily medications to manage run in opposition to being deployment ready. Someone who needs regular access to medications or medical care isn't capable of being deployed to an active area where those resources may not exist. If those with chronic medical conditions are allowed to join without any consideration, it becomes a logistical nightmare for the DoD to manage each and every servicemember's conditions in order to accommodate where best to deploy them. So it's best to just set very strict standards instead.
Which brings us to the transgender issue.
Forget the debate about whether or not transgenderism is a mental illness as that's a dead-end, and politically polarized, argument. The issue for the DoD is that transgenderism, and gender-affirming care, is a chronic medical condition that leads to life-long dependency on medical care and prescription medications. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) becomes a daily necessity. Men who undergo penile inversion vaginoplasty must dilate their newly created 'vagina' several times a day for the first year post-surgery and then must continue to dilate at regular intervals for the remainder of their lives. Missing normal dilation sessions can lead to severe urinary and skin infections. In addition, many transgender individuals must maintain regular psychotherapy and/or psychiatry sessions as studies have shown that transgender individuals are significantly more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal ideations, and the risk of suicidal ideations increases after having gender-affirming care.
This is why the transgender ban is justified. If asthmatics are PDQ for merely needing to have access to an emergency albuterol inhaler, or if someone with a peanut allergy is PDQ merely for needing to have constant access to an Epi-Pen, there is no way to contort logic and allow transgender individuals -- who need far more daily medical management and have a very high rate of mental health comorbidity -- to join the Armed Forces.
Contrary to the claims made by the far left, this is not discriminatory. It's completely in line with DoD medical best practices. There is no "right" to serve in the Armed Forces, and the Armed Forces are not an Equal Opportunity Employer. They are the epitome of a meritocracy, and it must be that way to remain effective.
Transgender individuals are free to live their best lives Just not in the United States Armed Forces. Like the rest of us who were PDQ'd or separated for medical issues.
