The Department of Veterans Affairs’ decision on Monday to end gender-affirming care for transgender veterans has sparked widespread condemnation from both military vets and medical professionals within the agency, who argue that the policy change is dangerous, discriminatory, and a direct betrayal of those who served.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
For many transgender veterans, the shift in policy doesn’t just feel like a loss ofhealth care—it feels like an attempt to erase them entirely.
Retired Army Staff Sgt. Alleria StanleyCourtesy Alleria Stanley
“How safe do I feel? Less than welcome,” said retired Army Staff Sgt. Alleria Stanley, a 20-year combat veteran living in Maryland who now serves as a board member for the Transgender American Veterans Association. Stanley worked as a radiology technologist within the Army and deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 as an Apache helicopter repairer. She was one of the first out transgender soldiers to retire with full benefits after transitioning while on active duty.
Related: Trump's VA rescinds policy treating transgender vets with dignity (exclusive)
“The VA just told transgender veterans, ‘You are not worthy,'" Stanley said.
All the veterans who spoke to The Advocate for this story receive their health care from the VA — and now fear that the place they’ve relied on for medical support has become a hostile environment.
‘This isn't just a policy change, it's a betrayal'
The announcement, made by VA Secretary Doug Collins on Monday, outlined the department’s plan to eliminate hormone therapy, prosthetics, and most other gender-affirming medical care for transgender veterans who are not already receiving treatment.
Collins justified the rollback by falsely claiming that most veterans support ending care for transgender vets and framing the decision as a budget-saving measure that would allow funds to be redirected to paralyzed and severely disabled veterans.
Stanley took issue with this framing. She explained that VA health care isn't just for service-related conditions. It's many veterans' only primary comprehensive medical provider.
“Every veteran deserves care. The VA is supposed to be for all of us, no asterisks, no exclusions,” she said. “What they’re doing is trying to divide us, making us think that one group is taking from another. That’s not how this works, and it’s disgusting.”
Lindsay Church, a transgender Navy veteran and executive director of Minority Veterans of America, said the language of the press release itself was cruel and demeaning.
“The secretary opened with ‘I mean no disrespect’ while delivering one of the most disrespectful, degrading press releases I have ever read,” Church told The Advocate.
Transgender Navy veteran Lindsay ChurchCourtesy Lindsay Church (they/them)
“He’s lying. He’s misleading the public. And he is actively harming veterans.”
Related:Trump administration announces end to gender-affirming care for transgender veterans
Stanley also found the language deeply offensive.
“When anyone says, ‘I mean no disrespect,’ you already know what’s coming is disrespectful,” she said. “And that’s exactly what they did. They told us, ‘We don’t care about you. You don’t matter. You’re a political talking point to us.’”
‘I served my country, and this is my reward?’
Sarah Klimm, a retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant living in Pennsylvania, who served for 23 years, never had the chance to serve openly as a transgender woman.
The day she retired — the very same day — then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that transgender service members could serve openly.
Related: Two Trans Soldiers to Retire With Rare Distrinction
“I spent my entire career hiding who I was, hoping that one day things would change,” Klimm said. “And the day I finally retired, they announced that trans service members could be themselves. It was bittersweet. I was happy for those coming up behind me, but I also thought, ‘Why couldn’t I have had that?’”
Retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Sarah KlimmCourtesy Sarah Klimm
Now, with the VA’s reversal on gender-affirming care, she feels like she’s reliving the discrimination she faced in the military.
“It’s the same playbook. First they say you don’t belong. Then they say your service wasn’t real. Then they start stripping away your rights. I’ve seen this before, and I know where it leads.”
A pattern of deception
The VA’s rollback of gender-affirming care stems from a January 20 executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which directed federal agencies to eliminate policies that “promote radical gender ideology.” The order defines gender by sex assigned at birth and only male and female. It outlines that the U.S. government doesn't acknowledge transgender ornonbinary people's identity.
On Friday, the VA quietly rescinded Directive 1341, which had protected LGBTQ+ veterans’ access to care and dignified treatment in VA facilities.
Initially, the department denied any changes had been made and demanded that The Advocate retract its reporting. However, the VA published the directive’s removal online on Saturday and on Monday announced the complete rollback of gender-affirming care.
One anonymous VA health care provider described the entire situation as a disturbing example of political manipulation and dishonesty.
“There seems to be a problem with lack of ownership in this administration,” the provider said.
“From outright denying they had rescinded the directive when it was published, to blaming the press for the public’s reaction to their decisions on health care policy and practice, it’s clear that they are making decisions without concern for the people affected.”
Despite repeated inquiries, VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz —who had previously denied The Advocate’s reporting and demanded a retraction without indicating what the department took issue with — did not respond to questions.
The Advocate reviewed an internal VA email sent Tuesday to health care providers, which offered additional guidance on prosthetics. The email explicitly stated, "Stop providing these devices and fittings for LGBTQ+ Veterans. No new orders. If devices were fitted and ordered, please provide to Veterans." Prosthetics include wigs.
‘I’d be afraid to get care at the VA if I were trans'
The VA’s announcement has had a chilling effect on both transgender veterans and health care providers within the system.
One VA health care provider, speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, told The Advocate they understand the fears of their trans patients.
“If I were trans, I would be afraid to go to the VA,” the provider said.
“I’ve seen how quickly the climate changed after this announcement. I’ve seen the fear on veterans’ faces when they ask me, ‘What’s going to happen to my care?’ The answer is — we don’t know. We’re afraid too.”
‘This will kill people’
Medical professionals within the VA are deeply concerned about the impact of this decision on transgender veterans’ mental health.
Dr. Mary Brinkmeyer, a former psychologist at Hampton VA Medical Center who quit out of protest in February when the department began rolling back LGBTQ+ support, told The Advocate she was shaken by the way Collins characterized transgender veterans and their medical needs.
“I’ve worked with trans service members and veterans since 2016, and I’ve seen their patriotism and desire to serve,” she said.
USA Army soldiers showing patriotism and desire to serveBumble Dee/shutterstock
“They deserve better than this. I’m extremely worried about the mental health effects of removing medically necessary care for gender dysphoria in this vulnerable population.”
One VA mental health professional, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, said the VA’s decision will inevitably lead to an increase in veteran suicides.
“I am in so much fear of how this information is going to push people further into the dark,” the provider said. “It’s going to lead to people hurting themselves. That’s my biggest fear.”
Financial strain on trans veterans
Beyond the devastating emotional toll, transgender veterans are now faced with the reality of finding alternative care — often at significant personal cost.
Klimm noted that many transgender veterans will be unable to afford alternative health care options.
“‘Go pay for it on your own dime’ sounds simple — until you realize how impossible that is for most veterans,” she said.
“I had to look into getting a third health insurance policy just to cover gender-affirming care. Who has the money for that?”
Cruelty disguised as cost-cutting
The VA’s announcement has drawn strong condemnation from lawmakers, including gay U.S. Rep. Mark Takano of California, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
“This isn’t cost-cutting, it’s cruelty,” Takano said in a statement to The Advocate.
“Secretary Doug Collins is unilaterally restricting medical care for transgender veterans, ignoring the clinical judgment of VA providers and the expertise of all major medical associations that support this care.”
Takano slammed the VA secretary for interfering in medical decisions and accused him of pitting veterans against each other.
“Veterans deserve access to the medical care their providers deem appropriate — without Secretary Collins’s interference,” he said. “His willingness to pit veterans against each other in today's announcement is shameful. It shows that he is unwilling to take his responsibility to support all of our veterans, regardless of their identity or medical needs, seriously.”
New York Rep. Ritchie TorresSteve Sanchez Photos/Shutterstock
Gay New York Rep. Ritchie Torres also condemned the decision, calling it a dangerous overreach of government control over veterans’ health care.
"The Trump administration seeks to forcibly impose its extremist politics on our nation's veterans via their healthcare coverage," Torres said. "First, they're coming after gender-affirming care for veterans. Next, who's to say they won't decide that PTSD treatment is too woke? Or surgery for breast cancer is too DEI?"
For many transgender veterans, the VA’s actions signal a terrifying precedent—one that raises concerns about what rights could be stripped next.
“If they can do this, what’s stopping them from going after our pensions? Our disability benefits? Our right to be buried with military honors?” Stanley asked. “It sounds like hyperbole — until it isn’t.”
Retired Army Staff Sgt. Alleria StanleyCourtesy Alleria Stanley
Transgender Navy veteran Lindsay ChurchCourtesy Lindsay Church (they/them)
Retired U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Sarah KlimmCourtesy Sarah Klimm
USA Army soldiers showing patriotism and desire to serveBumble Dee/shutterstock
New York Rep. Ritchie TorresSteve Sanchez Photos/Shutterstock
