Trump administration says trans service members have until March 26 to quit Air Force (The Advocate, 2025-03-02) (archive) [emphasis added]:
The Trump administration has escalated its efforts to purge transgender service members from the military, urging them to voluntarily separate by March 26—or face an uncertain future.
The directive, outlined in a March 1 memorandum from the Department of the Air Force, was filed Sunday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia as part of Talbott v. Trump, a legal challenge brought by GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The memo, signed by Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, states that individuals with gender dysphoria are “incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service.”
Transgender service members “are encouraged to elect to separate voluntarily no later than 26 March 2025,” the memo states. “Service members eligible for voluntary separation pay will be paid at a rate that is twice the amount for which the service member would have been eligible under involuntary separation pay.” The memo applies explicitly to Air Force and Space Force members, though other branches are expected to follow suit.
The document also confirms that previous waivers allowing them to use facilities and grooming standards consistent with their gender identity have been revoked effective immediately. Transgender personnel must now adhere to so-called “biological sex” standards for uniforms, grooming, fitness requirements, and access to showers, bathrooms, and lodging, it notes.
- Attachment: ECF No. 67-1 in Talbott v. Trump, 1:25-cv-00240, (D.D.C. Mar. 2, 2025) [PDF]
- Title: MEMORANDUM FOR ALMAJCOM-ALFLDCOM-FOA-DRU/CC DISTRIBUTION C; Additional Guidance for Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness”
- Author: Department of the Air Force, Office of the Assistant Secretary; Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
- Date: March 1, 2025
- See also:
- Talbott v. Trump at Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse
- Trump administration Executive Order 14183: “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” (2025-01-27)