“Incompatible with the humility and selflessness required of a soldier”

According to a document from the US Department of Defense, transgender soldiers will be excluded from the military unless they receive an exemption. In the ministry's submission to court on Wednesday, they are effectively banned from joining the army or serving there. US President Donald Trump had already signed an order on transgender soldiers in January. Among other things, it states that a man who identifies as a woman is "incompatible with the humility and selflessness required of a soldier."

In February, the Defense Department said the military would no longer accept transgender people into the force and would no longer perform or facilitate gender reassignment procedures for service members. The paper, released late Wednesday evening, goes even further.

Now it says the Department of Defense must create a process to identify transgender soldiers and then discharge them from the military within 30 days. "It is the policy of the United States Government to establish high standards of combat readiness, mortality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity of soldiers," the memorandum dated February 26 states. "This policy is inconsistent with the medical, surgical, and mental health restrictions on individuals with gender dysphoria or individuals who have been currently diagnosed with or exhibit symptoms of gender dysphoria."

According to the Defense Department, there are about 1.3 million people on active duty in the military. Transgender rights activists say there are up to 15,000 transgender soldiers. Official figures put the number at a few thousand.