The military announced Thursday the number of transgender troops currently serving in the military, revealing a smaller population Recent estimates. Currently, those figures show that 4,240 people in the military – Approximately 0.2% of the 2 million people wearing uniforms diagnosed gender discomfort.
That diagnosis is the best way for the military to track the number of trans units in their units. Previous estimates typically result in around 15,000 trans units.
The Trump administration has implemented a new policy that bans trans units from providing services, citing disruptions in the ranks and medical costs as the main reasons. President Trump has characterized the cost of providing care as “incredible.” And in an executive order last month, the administration argued that being transgender is “conflicts with soldiers' commitment to an honorable, true and disciplined lifestyle.”
The military was also first released on the cost of providing gender-affirming medical care to trans units. They show that the military has spent $52 million on their care since 2015 when trans units were first allowed to serve openly. Includes approximately $9,000 per psychotherapy, hormonal therapy, surgery, or trans service member. The total is just a portion of the Department of Defense Health Agency's annual budget of $17 billion.
Department of Defense data shows that about half of the troops diagnosed with gender discomfort do not require medical care at all. Approximately a quarter of surgery is required.
For years, the military argued that there was no way to track numbers related to transgender forces. The Pentagon released figures after a federal judge ordered the Department of Defense to provide data on Trans Service members on Thursday, banning lawsuits that challenged Trump's policies in a lawsuit filed by a group of Trans Service members.
