The policy, which was denounced as cruel and irrational by LGBTQ activists, was first announced by Trump in July 2017 via Twitter. The ban specifically blocks individuals diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria, with limited exceptions. It also stipulates that individuals can serve without the condition, but only if they do so according to the gender assigned to them at birth.
The White House declined to comment on the plans. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement last week that the government would lift the ban by taking executive action in the early days or weeks of Biden’s presidency.
The study put the number of transgender people in the military at the time between 1,320 and 6,630. Gender reassignment surgery is rare in the general population, and the Rand study estimated the possibility of 30 to 140 new hormone treatments per year in the military, with 25 to 130 gender transition-related surgeries among active duty members annually.
The study found that costs could range between $ 2.4 million and $ 8.4 million a year, an amount that would represent an “extremely small portion” of total health care spending.
Trump’s decision overturned a policy initially approved by the Department of Defense under former President Barack Obama, which was still under final review, allowing transgender individuals to serve openly in the military.