Biden order allowing transgender troops revoked by Trump in effort to remove DEI from military.

The Biden-era order permitting transgender individuals to serve in the military has been rescinded by President Donald Trump.

On Monday, the new president repealed the order issued by former President Biden in 2021, which allowed qualified Americans to serve in the military.

During his first term, Trump imposed a ban on transgender troops and in his inauguration speech, he declared that there are only two genders: male and female.

There are an estimated 9,000 to 14,000 transgender service members.

Trump has taken a series of swift actions to reverse Biden's policies, including a new executive order that criticizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the federal government for promoting a "divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy" over hard work, merit, and equality.

Trump and Hegseth are campaigning to eliminate DEI practices in U.S. forces.

Last week, Trump appointed Matthew Lohmeier as the Air Force's next undersecretary. In 2021, Lohmeier, a Space Force lieutenant colonel, was fired for criticizing the military's diversity programs and accusing it of "Marxism."

Lohmeier has published a book, "Irresistible Revolution," and claimed on podcasts that Marxism, diversity efforts, and critical race theory were weakening the military.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., commended the decision to eliminate woke DEI programs, stating that it is helping to refocus the military on lethality.

The Republican Party's efforts to restrict transgenderism in the military include Monday's actions, which are part of a broader crackdown on the issue. GOP lawmakers successfully included an amendment in their 2025 defense policy bill that prohibits irreversible transgender care for minors in the military healthcare system.

In some states, Medicaid covers transgender care, but an order has been issued that prohibits the federal government from recognizing more than two genders and using taxpayer money for "transgender services."

The Trump administration is proposing to segregate federal prisons and shelters for migrants and rape victims by biological sex, and to block requirements at government facilities and workplaces that transgender people be referred to using pronouns that align with their gender, arguing that these requirements violate the First Amendment's freedom of speech and religion.

Although the federal government does not issue a nationwide mandate on bathroom and sports competition use for transgender individuals, many states have enacted laws in these areas. The Associated Press provided input for this report.