Listen "Inside the US trans military ban"
Episode Synopsis
One of the first executive orders that President Donald Trump signed in his second term of office stated that being transgender is incompatible with the ‘rigorous standards necessary for military service’. It set the stage for a ban on trans people serving in the military, regardless of ability, rank or service history. Official figures say there are 4,240 transgender service members in the US armed forces, however research commissioned by the US Defense Department in 2016 estimated there could be up to around 10,000. Over the past four months the BBC has been following the stories of two trans service people as the executive order took effect. Both have served 17 years in the military, and are now facing the threat of a dishonourable discharge.Archive sources: NBC News, FOX News, CBS News, CNN, Chicks on the Right, Newsmax, 9 News, WKYC, ABC News, US Army's School of Advanced Military Studies
More episodes of the podcast The Documentary Podcast
Kibera Ballerinas
01/01/2026
Four Months in Gaza
31/12/2025
When Christian nationalists come to town
30/12/2025
BBC correspondents' look ahead to 2026
28/12/2025
Not-so-golden weddings
27/12/2025
Why I chose to adopt
27/12/2025
The lord and dance: Michael Flatley
26/12/2025
The gift of science
25/12/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.