Military boards reject Hegseth trans troop ban
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Navy and Marine Corps boards voted to retain transgender troops in nine of 12 cases, the New York Times reported.
The panels' recommendations can still be reversed by service secretaries.
Background
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who leads the Pentagon, has campaigned to remove transgender troops from the military, and in February 2026 directed the Pentagon to pause new accessions involving people with a history of gender dysphoria and gender-transition medical procedures. The Pentagon set up three-member "separation" boards at bases worldwide to review transgender service members, with rules under which any evidence a member is transgender requires dismissal. The proceedings are kept secret — outsiders, even spouses, cannot attend, and officials won't release numbers. The New York Times compiled the outcome figures through interviews with service members and lawyers because the Pentagon does not publish them.
How it unfolded
- 2025 -05The Supreme Court allowed the military ban on transgender troops to take effect as challenges proceed in lower courts.
- 2026 -02Hegseth directed the Pentagon to pause new accessions involving people with a history of gender dysphoria and gender-transition medical procedures; Army boards began hearing cases.
- 2026 -05Army Maj. Kara Corcoran, an infantry officer with 18 years of service and two Afghanistan deployments, was expelled.
- 2026 -07Navy boards began hearings and have recommended retaining transgender sailors in seven of nine cases.
- 2026 -08Marine Corps boards began hearings and have recommended retaining Marines in two of three cases; Marine Staff Sgt. Damien Contreras had his hearing in August.
- 2026 -09Hegseth addressed Marines at Marine Corps Base Quantico, calling for standards including "No fatties. No trannies. No beardos. No weirdos. No wimps. No radicals."
- Oct 23, 2026The New York Times reported Navy and Marine Corps boards voted to retain trans members in nine of 12 cases; its correspondent Dave Phillips told CNN the boards have been working to keep troops.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer and law professor, said the boards are being told to rubber-stamp a non-choice and are refusing to "play that game," suggesting dissatisfaction with Pentagon leadership may influence decisions.
- Expert
- Attorney Steph Kral said the boards likely aren't making a grand policy statement and are just trying to do what's best for the Navy.
- Support
- Marine Staff Sgt. Damien Contreras said fellow war fighters saw he had always done his job, deployed and mentored Marines, and asked why they wouldn't retain him.
- Caution
- Maj. Kara Corcoran, expelled in May, called the Army board that heard her case a "kangaroo court."
Still unverified
The case figures come from New York Times interviews with service members and lawyers, not from Pentagon releases, and officials won't release numbers; board decisions are only recommendations and could be reversed by the service secretaries.