Pentagon memo sets limits on transgender people serving in military

The US Defense Department signed a memo on Tuesday that would enforce limitations on transgender troops. The policy, which has been the subject of court challenges, will take effect on April 12. It will bar most transgender individuals from serving if they require hormone treatments or transition surgery. The memo, signed by David Norquist, the number-two official at the Pentagon, will allow service secretaries to issue waivers on a case-by-case basis. President Donald Trump announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military in July 2017. He later accepted Pentagon recommendations to limit the ban to individuals with a history of gender dysphoria, defined as “those who may require substantial medical treatment,” allowing some exceptions, Reuters reports.