They served their country with courage, discipline, and pride. But now, under the Trump administration’s sweeping policy rollback, thousands of transgender veterans are being stripped of the very healthcare they were promised—specifically the gender-affirming care that has helped many of them survive.
Savannah Blake joined the Air Force at 22, working in cyber defense. The stress nearly broke her. After seven years of service, she was discharged with PTSD and anxiety. She finally began hormone therapy through the Department of Veterans Affairs last year—only to see the system turn against her. “Every day I wake up and I don’t know what the rules are anymore,” Blake said. “It’s becoming increasingly hard to see a future where we’re OK.” Her fear isn’t paranoia—it’s policy. In March, the VA officially rescinded directive 1341, the safeguard that had guaranteed affirming care for trans and intersex veterans.
From Protection to Punishment
Under the new directive, hormone therapy, voice coaching, and prosthetics are now being denied to anyone diagnosed with gender dysphoria—though the same care is still available to cisgender veterans. Trans veterans are effectively being told, “Your body doesn’t deserve the same care.” Even access to facilities aligning with a person’s gender identity has been blocked. It’s a rollback with brutal consequences, not only for physical well-being but for mental health and basic dignity.
Mary Brinkmeyer, a former psychologist and LGBTQ+ care coordinator in Virginia, was told to cease all LGBTQ outreach after the Trump administration’s orders. She quit rather than betray her oath to “do no harm.” She’s seen firsthand what these policies are doing to people. “I’ve worked for the past two and a half years to gain people’s trust, and now all of a sudden, I’m pulling out the rug from under them,” she said. After the 2017 trans military ban, many of her patients fell into suicidal crises. This time, it could be worse.
The Chilling Effect
For many trans vets, the fear is already forcing them out of the system. Kaydi Rogers, a Vietnam vet, used to take estrogen obtained from friends or abroad for years before finally relying on the VA. Now, she’s bracing for the day she may have to go underground again. “If they stop prescribing it, I’ll go back to doing what I did before,” she said. “I was desperate then, and I’ll be desperate again.”
Lindsay Church, a non-binary veteran and healthcare advocate, has canceled all VA appointments due to safety fears. “If I can’t use [my healthcare plan] because I’m scared of being harassed, I can’t use the system,” they said. The rescinded protections have created what Church calls a “death sentence” for those already at higher risk for suicide.
Indeed, trans veterans are already more likely to suffer from PTSD, homelessness, and military sexual trauma—and they are twice as likely to die by suicide compared with their cis counterparts. Removing gender-affirming care from their reach isn’t just discriminatory—it’s deadly.
A Betrayal of the Uniform
The cruel irony? These are the same people who were asked to risk their lives for the country now turning its back on them. “We’re asking these 17-year-olds to give their entire bodies to the US government,” one VA nurse said. “And they’re given one promise, which is that we will care for them. And this is part of care, whether you like it or not.”
This isn’t just about trans rights. It’s about veterans’ rights. When politicians start playing doctor, people get hurt—especially the most vulnerable. For LGBTQ service members and veterans, the VA was once a lifeline. Now, it’s looking more like a weapon.