The Trump administration’s ban on transgender military members has had an impact on morale and community, with the Department of Veterans Affairs cutting gender affirming care for transgender veterans. VA Secretary Doug Collins stated that the VA should not be focused on helping veterans attempt to change their sex. This change sparked alarm among transgender veterans who accused the VA of abandoning them.
A federal judge is expected to decide this week on the legality of the ban in a case brought by transgender servicemembers. The VA has also rescinded a directive providing respectful healthcare to transgender and intersex veterans, and will now require transgender veterans to use patient rooms corresponding to their sex at birth.
Transgender veterans who were receiving hormone therapy are exempt from the ban, and the funds saved by cutting gender affirming care will go towards paralyzed veterans and amputees. However, this policy change has led to fears in the transgender community about the potential negative impact on their mental health and well-being.
While the VA has been providing gender affirming care to transgender servicemembers since 2011, including hormone therapy and mental healthcare, they have never covered gender affirming surgeries. Efforts to overturn this ban have not been successful, leading to frustration among transgender veterans seeking essential care.
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