17 transgender Air Force members sue Trump admin over lost retirement benefits

Seventeen transgender Air Force members who were discharged under the Trump administration’s transgender ban have sued the federal government to cancel their pensions and benefits following their forced early retirement.

Transgender people, who served between 15 and 18 years in the Air Force, are demanding retirement benefits that were previously provided to them.

The lawsuit filed Monday comes after the Air Force said in August that transgender service members who served between the ages of 15 and 18 would not have the option to retire early and apply for benefits, reversing an earlier decision.

Service members affected by the new policy now face a loss of up to $2 million for their service over their lifetime, as well as the loss of health insurance benefits, according to GLAD law, one of the advocacy groups that helped file the lawsuit.

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Michael Haley, an attorney for the group, said the elimination of early retirement benefits was part of the “general cruelty in attacking transgender people,” adding that many of the plaintiffs had received orders allowing them to retire and that some had already begun the process of leaving the military.

“These are people who are going to move on with their lives, who were given consent to do so, and then have it taken away from them again,” Haley said.

An Air Force staff sergeant who spent 15 years in the service, including a deployment to Afghanistan, joined the lawsuit after being denied early retirement, saying: “The Army taught me to lead and fight, not retreat.”

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Transgender service members are demanding retirement benefits that were previously available to them. (Reuters)

“Canceling my retirement sends a message that these values ​​only apply on the battlefield, not when a service member needs them most,” Logan Ireland told The Associated Press.

This is just the latest legal challenge against administration policies that seek to force transgender troops out of the military. In May, the US Supreme Court allowed the ban on transgender troops to go forward, while legal challenges continue.

President Donald Trump and Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth have targeted transgender service members as part of their efforts to root out diversity, equality and inclusion in the military.

Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump have targeted transgender service members as part of their efforts to root out perceived diversity, equality and inclusion in the military. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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In addition to eliminating retirement benefits, the Air Force moved in August to deny transgender members the opportunity to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving.

The Pentagon also recently unveiled a similar version of that policy across the military.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.