In the United States, news related to permits and bans concerning the participation of transgender individuals in the armed forces has once again stirred public debate
In recent days, the Supreme Court of the country has issued a long-awaited decision that paves the way for a unilateral ban on service for transgender military personnel, effectively allowing the military to mass discharge service members who identify as transgender, as well as denying entry to new recruits with this gender identity. According to Reuters, citing a source within the U.S. Department of Justice, the Supreme Court approved the Trump administration’s request to overturn a previous federal injunction, which opponents of the decision considered a barrier to implementing the administration’s policy. In the Court’s ruling, issued in a brief format without naming the authors, three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — publicly expressed disagreement with the decision, deeming it harmful to the rights and freedoms of transgender service members. Human rights organizations such as Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which represented the plaintiffs in the case, described the verdict as a "devastating blow" to those military personnel who have already served and demonstrated their ability to perform their duties despite their transgender identity. Activists warn that this ruling threatens the careers of thousands of service members and discriminates against them in the country’s most prestigious institution. The White House, represented by spokesperson Caroline Leavitt, characterized the Supreme Court’s decision as "a huge victory for the Trump administration," emphasizing that the president’s team and Defense Secretary P. G. Ghetset are focused on enhancing the armed forces' combat readiness and preparedness, rather than on issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion. According to her, the current approach to military service should be solely based on professional qualities, not gender identity. Data from the U.S. Department of Defense indicates that as of 2019, approximately 8,000 transgender individuals were serving in the military. They became a target of the controversial initiatives initiated by Trump to ban the service of such individuals. Reports from that period, early in his presidency, indicated that a directive was being prepared to prohibit transgender people from enlisting and to discharge those already serving. Media outlets note that Trump actively promoted this policy from the early days of his presidency. For example, in December 2019, the U.S. president signed an executive order rescinding previous allowances for transgender military personnel and effectively initiating the process of discharging thousands of service members with transgender status. This sparked mixed reactions within government circles as well as among law enforcement and civil society organizations. In political and social circles, heated protests continue. In November of this year, for the first time in U.S. history, an openly transgender person was elected to Congress — Democratic Congresswoman Sara McBride, a symbol of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. At the same time, in December, Trump declared that his administration would fight "gender madness" and officially recognize only two sexes — male and female. During that period, the president signed an executive order that canceled permits for transgender service members and facilitated their mass discharge. The following months became even more tense. While Trump’s administration previously hinted at excluding transgender individuals from the armed forces, the Supreme Court’s decision, which effectively allows this political and ideological trend to take hold, marked a significant step toward implementing this reform. Although judicial authority in the U.S. is traditionally divided and other branches of government have also expressed differing views on this issue, the ruling served as a signal to advocates of reducing the role of the LGBTQ+ community within military structures. Thus, the situation surrounding transgender military personnel in the U.S. remains strained, with political measures and court decisions only heightening tensions. It is already clear that the issue of equality and human rights in the military will continue to be at the center of debates. Whether the proposed changes will make the American army more combat-effective and efficient remains an open question, but one thing is certain: laws and government decisions again influence the lives of thousands of people and are transforming the face of military service in the United States.