Trump's VA rescinds policy treating transgender vets with dignity
Source: The Advocate
BREAKING: Trump's VA rescinds policy treating transgender vets with dignity (exclusive)
The Trump administration quietly reversed the policy, which means trans veterans won't be protected from discrimination at VA facilities.
By Christopher Wiggins
March 14 2025 4:18 PM EST
Transgender people who have served the United States in uniform in the military will no longer be treated with dignity at Veterans Affairs facilities. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday afternoon rescinded Directive 1341, a policy that for years ensured transgender, nonbinary, and intersex veterans received respectful, clinically appropriate health care, The Advocate has learned.
The directive provided clear protections for these veterans against discrimination within the VA system and established standards for their care, including access to hormone therapy, mental health support, and the ability to use VA facilities in accordance with their gender identity.
Directive 1341, officially titled Providing Health Care for Transgender and Intersex Veterans, was first issued in 2018 to affirm the VA's commitment to equitable health care for transgender and intersex veterans. It specified that transgender veterans be housed according to their gender identity in VA residential treatment programs and allowed them to use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. The directive has undergone multiple updates, with amendments in 2020, 2023, and 2024 to strengthen LGBTQ+ health care protections further.
However, internal VA documents reviewed by The Advocate outline key changes that have taken place as of Wednesday "VHA facilities have changed signage for intimate spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms, which are now designated by sex (M, F) or unisex. Sex-segregated spaces such as inpatient and residential rooms will be maintained based on sex. Within that limit, inpatient and residential room assignment decisions should be made in line with clinical guidance to best support the health and safety of the veteran. For external public-facing communications that previously used the term 'gender' as a synonym for 'sex,' all references have been changed to 'sex' before reposting documents," one of the slides reads.
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Read more: https://www.advocate.com/news/transgender-veterans-policy-rescinded