Federal Judge Challenges Pentagon’s Discriminatory Testosterone Policy Against Transgender Troops
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A federal judge is demanding the Defense Department justify its double standard: offering testosterone therapy to cisgender male soldiers while denying the same care to transgender service members.
The U.S. Department of Defense has unveiled a new plan to screen cisgender male service members aged 30 and older for testosterone levels, offering voluntary testosterone replacement therapy to those deemed deficient. This policy, championed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is being justified as a means to maintain 'physical readiness'—but only for cisgender men.
District Court Judge Ana Reyes, presiding over lawsuits challenging the administration’s cruel and exclusionary ban on transgender service members, has issued a forceful order requiring the Pentagon to explain why it is providing medical care to one group while denying it to another. Transgender troops remain barred from accessing hormone therapy under the discriminatory ban, highlighting the Pentagon’s ongoing institutional bias.
'The Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards… without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions,' the judge wrote, referencing the executive order that codified the ban on transgender service.
Judge Reyes is demanding transparency on the policy’s rationale, costs, and the administration of testosterone therapy, with a response required before the August 7 hearing. Medical experts have warned that unnecessary or poorly managed testosterone replacement could endanger health, including fertility and long-term well-being. This latest move by the Pentagon exposes the hypocrisy and inequity at the heart of military policy toward transgender Americans.