Pentagon to change trans soldiers' records to reflect biological sex—not gender identity

Transgender soldiers in the Army will now have records that state only their birth sex, an internal memo obtained by Reuters has revealed, instead of their gender identity, as was the practice under the Biden administration.

The 14-page memo stated, "Commanders will take immediate measures to update personnel records and administrative systems to reflect biological sex for all individuals." A person’s sex is considered by the Army to be "unchanging during a person’s life."

Pronoun use must "reflect their biological sex," the document stated, later adding, "In keeping with good order and discipline, salutations (e.g., addressing a senior officer as 'sir' or 'ma'am')."

Access to "intimate spaces" will also be determined by biological sex. "Commanders will ensure all such shared intimate spaces will be clearly designated for either male, female, or family use."

This comes after the Supreme Court earlier in May blocked a lower court’s ruling that prevented the Trump administration from banning transgender troops in service. The Pentagon to implement the order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pending the outcome of the appeal.

In the administration’s appeal to the Supreme Court, Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the lower court’s injunction, if not blocked, would remain in place “for the duration of further review in the Ninth Circuit and in this Court—a period far too long for the military to be forced to maintain a policy that it has determined, in its professional judgment, to be contrary to military readiness and the Nation’s interests."

"In this case, the district court issued a universal injunction usurping the Executive Branch’s authority to determine who may serve in the Nation’s armed forces—despite this Court previously staying injunctions against a materially indistinguishable policy," Sauer wrote.

The Department of Defense adopted a policy in February that "generally disqualifies from military service individuals who have gender dysphoria or have undergone medical interventions for gender dysphoria," Sauer explained.