Adam Chapman
Guest Reporter
Rates of gender dysphoria within the US army skyrocketed on President Joe Biden's watch, Department of Defense (DoD) data seen by GB News shows.
The soaring statistic comes as Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order upon returning to the White House that would remove all transgender troops from the US military.
Around 15,500 trans individuals are in active service, estimates suggest. Should Trump get his way, these individuals will be medically discharged, declaring them unfit to serve.
He made similar noises during his first term in office, tweeting back in July 2017 that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to serve in the US military "in any capacity", citing "tremendous medical costs and disruption".
Trump's initial policy attempt, which took Pentagon officials by surprise, was blocked by the courts.
By March 2018, a modified policy managed to get through. This policy disqualified transgender individuals with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria from serving unless they had been stable in their biological sex for 18 months before joining.
It also allowed those who were already serving and had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria before a certain date to continue serving according to their identified gender, with some conditions regarding stability and medication.
Despite the concessions, the policy was often described by advocates as a ban because it significantly restricted transgender individuals from serving openly or transitioning while in service.
President Joe Biden, upon taking office, reversed Trump's policy on January 25, 2021, with an executive order titled "Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform".
This order prohibited discrimination against transgender individuals in military service, allowing them to serve openly and receive necessary medical care for gender transition.
Now, GB News can reveal that the number of Army personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria surged following Biden's reversal of Trump's policy.
DoD data reveals that in 2020 - before Biden entered office, the number of US Army personnel with gender dysphoria stood at 1,800.
In 2021, this jumped to 2,200, the DoD data shows.
By April 2024, DoD put the number of active military personnel diagnosed and treated for gender dysphoria at 3,700 - a percentage increase of roughly 70 per cent since Biden took office.
It's worth noting that not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria - a mental state marked by a feeling of incompatibility between one’s experienced or expressed gender and their assigned gender at birth.
However, recent studies and clinical observations indicate that a significant portion of transgender individuals experience gender dysphoria.
Some recent estimates based on population surveys put the overall rates as high as 580 individuals per 100,000 identifying as transgender in the United States.
The number of individuals seeking hormonal therapy and gender-affirming surgery for gender dysphoria has been increasing in the United States and elsewhere.
It's hard to measure exact rates of gender dysphoria as many individuals who have it might not seek formal diagnosis or treatment.
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If enacted, this policy would likely face immediate legal challenges similar to those seen during Trump's first term.
Rachel Branaman, the executive director of Modern Military Association of American which campaigns for LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans said:
“Should a trans ban be implemented from day one of the Trump administration it would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries.”
She also mentioned the dropping recruitment numbers, and said this decision “adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps”.
She said there would be financial loss and a loss of experienced leadership that would take decades to replace.
However, many of Trump's allies champion his efforts to combat what they describe as "woke" agendas or "transgender insanity" in various institutions, including the military.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X: "This will improve recruitment and save money."
Find Out More...
The soaring statistic comes as Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order upon returning to the White House that would remove all transgender troops from the US military.
Around 15,500 trans individuals are in active service, estimates suggest. Should Trump get his way, these individuals will be medically discharged, declaring them unfit to serve.
He made similar noises during his first term in office, tweeting back in July 2017 that transgender individuals would no longer be allowed to serve in the US military "in any capacity", citing "tremendous medical costs and disruption".
Trump's initial policy attempt, which took Pentagon officials by surprise, was blocked by the courts.
By March 2018, a modified policy managed to get through. This policy disqualified transgender individuals with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria from serving unless they had been stable in their biological sex for 18 months before joining.
It also allowed those who were already serving and had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria before a certain date to continue serving according to their identified gender, with some conditions regarding stability and medication.
Despite the concessions, the policy was often described by advocates as a ban because it significantly restricted transgender individuals from serving openly or transitioning while in service.
President Joe Biden, upon taking office, reversed Trump's policy on January 25, 2021, with an executive order titled "Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform".
This order prohibited discrimination against transgender individuals in military service, allowing them to serve openly and receive necessary medical care for gender transition.
Now, GB News can reveal that the number of Army personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria surged following Biden's reversal of Trump's policy.
DoD data reveals that in 2020 - before Biden entered office, the number of US Army personnel with gender dysphoria stood at 1,800.
In 2021, this jumped to 2,200, the DoD data shows.
By April 2024, DoD put the number of active military personnel diagnosed and treated for gender dysphoria at 3,700 - a percentage increase of roughly 70 per cent since Biden took office.
It's worth noting that not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria - a mental state marked by a feeling of incompatibility between one’s experienced or expressed gender and their assigned gender at birth.
However, recent studies and clinical observations indicate that a significant portion of transgender individuals experience gender dysphoria.
Some recent estimates based on population surveys put the overall rates as high as 580 individuals per 100,000 identifying as transgender in the United States.
The number of individuals seeking hormonal therapy and gender-affirming surgery for gender dysphoria has been increasing in the United States and elsewhere.
It's hard to measure exact rates of gender dysphoria as many individuals who have it might not seek formal diagnosis or treatment.
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The impact of Trump's trans ban
If enacted, this policy would likely face immediate legal challenges similar to those seen during Trump's first term.
Rachel Branaman, the executive director of Modern Military Association of American which campaigns for LGBTQ+ military personnel and veterans said:
“Should a trans ban be implemented from day one of the Trump administration it would undermine the readiness of the military and create an even greater recruitment and retention crisis, not to mention signalling vulnerability to America’s adversaries.”
She also mentioned the dropping recruitment numbers, and said this decision “adds administrative burdens to war fighting units, harms unit cohesion, and aggravates critical skill gaps”.
She said there would be financial loss and a loss of experienced leadership that would take decades to replace.
However, many of Trump's allies champion his efforts to combat what they describe as "woke" agendas or "transgender insanity" in various institutions, including the military.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X: "This will improve recruitment and save money."
Find Out More...