The U.S. military will discharge transgender troops in the coming weeks unless they are granted an individualized waiver, the Department of Defense announced in a memo that became public Wednesday.
“Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” said a memo from the official performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
It specifically gave a 30-day deadline for senior leaders to “identify service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria” before beginning separation actions within 30 days of identification.
The memo was revealed in a court filing as a part of the legal challenge to President Donald Trump‘s executive order from last month directing the Pentagon to implement its own policies regarding the administration’s belief that identifying as transgender is incompatible with military service.