Shortly after being sworn into office, President Trump signed an executive order that sought to effectively ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. Military.
The order compelled the Pentagon to identify service members who had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and said they would be given a choice to separate voluntarily or would be honorably discharged involuntarily.
But on March 18, a federal judge blocked that order — meaning military bases across the country are backpedaling. A spokesperson for Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base says no suspensions are being processed due to a memorandum sent out April 2 by the Department of Defense.
The memorandum directs the Air Force to pause any suspensions being processed, return to active duty any service members placed on administrative leave as a result of the executive order, and suspend requirements for transgender service members to use facilities and pronouns associated with their sex assigned at birth.
It’s unclear how many transgender service members are currently serving in Missouri, but a Whiteman spokesperson confirms there are transgender service members currently active on base.
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