RESTON, Va. (DC News Now) — Transgender service members have to be removed within 60 days according to a new memo sent Wednesday from the Department of Defense. It follows President Trump’s executive order last month.
One of the highest-ranking out transgender officers in the military, Col. Bree Fram, told DC News Now she’s uncertain what her future holds, but the dedication and skill the military could lose is immense.
Fram said she’s speaking in her personal capacity and not on behalf of the Department of Defense, saying her views don’t necessarily reflect those of the U.S. government.
Military service runs in Fram’s family.
“We’re looking at one of my grandfather’s shadow boxes from his service in World War II,” she said, showing off memorabilia in her home office.
She’s served for 22 years with deployments to Qatar and Iraq. But her service could end soon with a new Department of Defense memo giving two months to remove all transgender military members.
“It’s heartbreaking because we have thousands of transgender service members who have served openly, honorably, with distinction for nearly a decade,” Fram said.
Fram, who serves with the U.S. Space Force, weathered President Trump’s first transgender military ban.
“The big difference this time around is that it is a complete total ban,” Fram said. “There are no exceptions for anyone. Whereas in 2017, which was implemented in 2019, those of us who had come out were allowed to continue serving.”
Defense Undersecretary for Personnel Darin Selnick said in his memo, “The medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”
He’s giving leadership a month to identify trans members and another month to remove them.
“There are ongoing court cases. There may be an injunction against this policy,” Fram said.
“So what the timeline actually looks like for each individual service member is unknown.”
Fram said it’s a burden and a challenge to operate with uncertainty.
“And even with that, transgender service members were out there today accomplishing mission here at home, deployed all around the world,” Fram said. “They are so incredibly resilient and capable, and I am incredibly proud of all their efforts.”
Estimates of how many troops are transgender range from 4,200 according to a senior defense official on Thursday, to 14,000 according to a 2018 independent study by the Palm Center.
The memo said service members may be kept on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling Government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities. But they also have to demonstrate they never transitioned and prove 36 consecutive months of stable living in their birth sex “without clinically significant distress.”
