The U.S. Army Is Right to Bar Transgender Recruits—And Medical Science Backs It Up
Why Transgender Identity Fits the Definition of a Mental Health Disorder and Should Be Reclassified Accordingly
The United States military has always maintained strict medical standards for service members. To ensure combat effectiveness, the military bars individuals with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, severe depression, and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) because these conditions impair a soldier’s ability to function under stress.
Now, the U.S. Army has reinstated a ban on transgender recruits, following an executive order by President Trump. While activists claim this is discrimination, the decision is scientifically justifiedand aligns with the long-standing military principle of ensuring mental and physical fitness.
👉 If the military does not accept individuals with severe anxiety, schizophrenia, or BDD, why should it accept those with gender dysphoria—a condition that contradicts biological reality and often requires lifelong medical treatment?
The controversy surrounding this decision highlights a larger issue: The declassification of transgender identity as a mental health disorder was not based on scientific discovery, but on political activism.
This article will present the overwhelming scientific and logical case for why transgender identity should be both disqualified from military service and reclassified as a mental health disorder—just as it was before ideological pressure led to its removal from medical manuals.
1. The Military Rightly Bans Individuals With Mental Disorders—Transgender Identity Should Be No Exception
The U.S. Armed Forces must ensure all recruits are mentally stable and capable of handling high-stress environments. The Department of Defense (DoD) Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services (DODI 6130.03) lists conditions that automatically disqualify individuals from service, including:
✔ Schizophrenia and psychotic disorders
✔ Severe depression and anxiety disorders
✔ Bipolar disorder
✔ Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
✔ Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (in many cases)
These conditions are disqualifying because they:
🔹 Involve a significant mental health disturbance that impairs cognitive function.
🔹 Often require ongoing medical treatment, including medication or therapy.
🔹 Can interfere with a soldier’s ability to operate effectively under stress.
Why Should Transgender Identity Be Treated Differently?
It involves a persistent belief that contradicts biological reality.
It requires lifelong medical intervention (hormones, surgeries, psychiatric support).
It causes high rates of emotional distress, anxiety, and depression—even after transition.
A person dependent on medical treatments or psychological care is not fit for combat service.
If the military applies medical standards consistently, transgender individuals must be disqualified under the same rationale used for other mental health conditions.
2. Transgender Identity Meets the Medical Definition of a Mental Disorder
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) DSM-5 defines a mental disorder as:
“A syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.”
📌 Does transgender identity involve a cognitive disturbance? Yes. A transgender person experiences a persistent belief that conflicts with their biological sex.
📌 Does it reflect a dysfunction in psychological or biological processes? Yes. There is no biological marker for transgender identity—it is diagnosed purely through self-reporting.
📌 Does it require treatment? Yes. Transgender individuals often seek hormone therapy, surgeries, and psychological support—just as people with other disorders seek medical interventions.
By the official medical definition, transgender identity qualifies as a disorder.
3. Mental Disorders Involve Beliefs That Contradict Reality—So Does Transgender Identity
Many recognized mental disorders involve a persistent belief that contradicts objective biological reality.
A. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
What it is: A person perceives severe physical flaws that do not exist.
Why it is classified as a disorder: Their perception contradicts objective reality.
B. Anorexia Nervosa
What it is: A dangerously underweight person believes they are overweight.
Why it is classified as a disorder: Their belief contradicts biological reality.
C. Schizophrenia
What it is: A person hears voices or sees things that do not exist.
Why it is classified as a disorder: Their perception contradicts external reality.
D. Transgender Identity
What it is: A biological male believes he is a woman, or vice versa.
Why it should be classified as a disorder: Their gender belief contradicts biological reality.
📌 If we are scientifically consistent, transgender identity must be classified similarly to BDD or schizophrenia—because all involve a belief that contradicts external reality.
4. No Conclusive Biological Evidence Supports That Being Transgender Is Natural
Advocates claim that being transgender is biologically innate, but the science remains inconclusive:
A. Brain Structure Studies – Inconclusive
Some studies suggest that transgender individuals have slightly different brain structures.
Counterpoint: These differences could be caused by hormone treatments or social experiences, not an innate condition.
📌 Verdict: Not conclusive proof.
B. Twin Studies – No Strong Genetic Link
If being transgender were purely biological, identical twins (who share 100% of their DNA) should both be transgender at a high rate.
Studies show only a 30-50% concordance rate—meaning biology alone does not explain transgender identity.
📌 Verdict: No strong genetic evidence.
C. The Best Evidence for Transgender Identity Is Self-Perception
The only consistent evidence that transgender identity exists comes from self-reporting.
But self-perception is not enough to prove a biological basis—many mental disorders involve self-perceptions that contradict reality (e.g., BDD, schizophrenia).
📌 Verdict: No conclusive biological evidence proving transgender identity is innate.
5. The Declassification of Transgender Identity as a Disorder Was Ideological, Not Scientific
If transgender identity is not a mental disorder, what scientific discoveries led to its removal from the DSM-5?
📌 There were none.
Instead, the change was made purely for ideological and political reasons.
📌 Key Quote from the WHO (2019):
“We had a better understanding that transgender identity is not a mental disorder and that classifying it as such could cause stigma.”
📌 Notice that this is a social and political justification, not a scientific one.
📌 If we apply medical and psychological definitions consistently, transgender identity should be reclassified as a disorder.
Conclusion: The U.S. Army Is Right to Bar Transgender Recruits, and Transgender Identity Should Be Reclassified as a Mental Disorder
📌 Transgender identity meets every logical and medical standard of a disorder.
📌 It was declassified due to political activism, not scientific proof.
📌 If we apply psychiatric definitions consistently, transgender identity must be reclassified as a mental disorder.
👉 The U.S. Army’s ban is justified, and medical institutions should correct their ideological mistake by restoring transgender identity’s classification as a mental health disorder.
Should science be driven by facts—or by politics?