OAN Staff James Meyers
11:53 AM – Thursday, March 27, 2025
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s effort to prohibit transgender individuals, those with gender dysphoria, from enlisting in the military—a policy that was scheduled to take effect on Friday.
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In response, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has since filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia.
On Wednesday, Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Joe Biden appointee, denied the government’s motion to dissolve her order, which prevents the military from denying those who identify as transgender from enlisting in the U.S. armed forces.
The judge presided over a hearing that took place on March 21st, when she requested the Department of Defense (DOD) to delay its original March 26th deadline to enact the policy.
Reyes claimed that the Department of Defense’s justification for the ban was based on “pretext and anti-trans policy.” However, the filing also argued that the policy is not an overarching ban, but rather, it “turns on gender dysphoria – a medical condition – and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class.”
Additionally, the Trump administration requested that, if the motion to dissolve is denied, the court should stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal, Fox News reported.
If it weren’t for the ongoing dispute, the administration stated in new instructions released on March 21st that it anticipated implementing the policy. The guidance clarified that “the phrase ‘exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria’” solely applies to “individuals who exhibit such symptoms as would be sufficient to constitute a diagnosis.”
Judge Reyes expressed that she wished to give the appeals process more time. She also argued that she had already given ample opportunity to challenge her prior ruling that prevented the ban from taking effect.
In response, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth facetiously suggested that Reyes should begin reporting to U.S. military bases, since she is apparently “now a top military planner.”
“Since ‘Judge’ Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare,” Hegseth posted on X.
Reyes acknowledged on Wednesday that Military Department Identification Guidance (MIDI Guidance) is new, but the argument presented by the defense is not.
“Defendants re-emphasize their ‘consistent position that the [Hegseth] Policy is concerned with the military readiness, deployability, and costs associated with a medical condition,’” the judge wrote. “Regulating gender dysphoria is no different than regulating bipolar disorder, eating disorders, or suicidality. The Military Ban regulates a medical condition, they insist, not people. And therein lies the problem.”
“Gender dysphoria is not like other medical conditions, something Defendants well know,” Reyes continued. “It affects only one group of people: all persons with gender dysphoria are transgender and only transgender persons experience gender dysphoria.”
Despite the judge’s remarks, which insinuates that those with gender dysphoria (transgenders) will struggle with the condition for the rest of their lives, the National Institutes Of Health (NIH) published a study in 2022 that stated that: “The most common reason for detransitioning was the realization that their gender dysphoria was related to other issues (70%). The participants in this study had high rates of mental health comorbidities including depressive disorder (70%), anxiety (63%), post-traumatic stress disorder (33%), attention deficit disorder (24%), autism spectrum condition (20%), eating disorder (19%), and personality disorder (17%).”
In the military, mental health assessments are crucial for ensuring readiness and well-being, often involving screenings for conditions like PTSD and depression, as well as evaluating suitability for service. It is crucial that U.S. service members are mentally healthy — with clear focus.
Nevertheless, the judge acknowledged that the case has generated a large scale debate on the issue.
“This is all to the good,” Reyes said. “But let’s recall that our service members make the debate and appeals possible. Their sacrifices breathe life into the phrase, ‘one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ The Court, again, thanks them all.”
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