As the Defense Department prepares to boot all transgender service members who don't qualify for an exemption, after a recent executive order from President Trump claiming their presence harms military readiness, new figures have been released that show a much lower number of trans troops currently serving than previously thought. According to the Pentagon, just over 4,200 troops, or about 0.2% of the 2 million individuals serving, have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the gauge currently used to best estimate trans stats in the US military, per the New York Times.
Past estimates had put that figure closer to 15,000. The DOD also released figures on how much the military has spent on gender-affirming medical care for trans troops—counseling, hormone therapy, surgery, etc.—since they were first permitted to serve starting in 2015: $52 million, or about $9,000 per service member. That comes out to just a fraction of the Pentagon's $17 billion annual budget for its health division. "The military has looked at gender-affirming medical care the same way it has regarded broken bones, cancer diagnoses, or scores of other medical issues that troops encounter," the Times notes.
"We don't treat them any differently, and we shouldn't," Capt. Justin Long, who served in the Navy for more than two decades before retiring two years ago, tells the paper. Long also says that the attempt to vilify trans troops is a big "nothing-burger." "They've tried to make a big deal out of this, just like they did in the past with integrating women or African Americans," he says. "I've had 15 trans sailors in my command over the years and never had an issue. The other sailors treat them like anyone else. All they want to know is, Will you show up and do your job?" LGBTQ+ advocates, meanwhile, say the exemption for trans service members is essentially worthless, per Military.com. (More transgender rights stories.)
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