Pete Hegseth gives trans people several weeks to “voluntarily” leave the military

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Transgender people will have until the beginning of June to identify themselves and leave the military voluntarily, according to a new memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

With the Supreme Court greenlighting the president’s trans military ban earlier this week, Hegseth has reinstated several orders that were temporarily put on hold by lower courts. The memo, dated May 8, says that transgender people in the military have until June 6 to voluntarily leave the military and still be eligible for voluntary separation pay. Transgender people serving in the reserves have until July 7.

“There’s no guarantee to access to your pension or severance or an honorable discharge,” said Rae Timberlake of the trans service member organization Sparta Pride. They are one of the estimated 1000 transgender service members choosing to leave the military voluntarily now in order to get some of the benefits they have been earning throughout their career that might not be available if the military forces them out for being transgender after June 6.

“This is not voluntary,” they told the Guardian. “This is a decision that folks are coming to under duress.”

“These are 1,000 transgender troops that would be serving if the conditions were not created to force them into making a decision for their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of their family long-term.”

The memo applies to anyone who…

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