The U.S. Air Force has announced that it will rescind its offer of early retirement and associated lifetime benefits to transgender service members who served between 15 and 18 years in the force. Instead, all members have been told that they must either accept a one-time lump-sum separation payment (whose deadlines for application has already passed) or be involuntarily kicked out without any pay. Trans service members and allies are calling the policy change an arbitrary, cruel, and dehumanizing betrayal of their service. Opponents are expected to sue in hopes of receiving any pay and benefits theyre owed. For many, the policy reversal destabilizes their future financial, healthcare, and housing security that were based on their expected benefits. Related Supreme Court allows military to start kicking trans people out The August 4 Air Force memo associated with the policy change cite the presidents hateful executive order seeking to force transgender military members out of the armed services. The order says that trans identity is a mental disorder that is selfish, dishonorable, deceitful, undisciplined, and unfit for military service. The newly issued policy signed by Brian Scarlett, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs reverses an earlier policy allowing trans Air Force members with 15 to 20 years of military service to apply for a Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA). TERA allows servicemembers to leave the military early with prorated benefits (like health insurance coverage, disability benefits, and access to housing on military bases). Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Now, all offers of TERA have been rescinded, effectively denying those benefits to experienced trans veterans. A Pentagon official said the Air Force policy treats anyone impacted by it with dignity and respect, The Associated Press (AP) reported.Master Sgt. Logan Ireland disagrees. He applied for TERA, but had his early retirement request recently revoked without a case-by-case review [and] without any justification, he told Advocate. Ireland said his otherwise supportive military leader informed him of the order with tears in their eyes. The revocation wipes out all of Irelands benefits despite him being a highly decorated soldier who served for 15 years, including multiple overseas tours in the Middle East and Asia. This is a core part of who I am, and now its just being ripped from me, Ireland told the aforementioned publication. So being allowed to still retire was a way for me to find closure and was a way for me to look at the Air Force and say, you know what? Despite this policy, theyre trying to do right by some service members and allowing us to retire early. But now I feel like I was just betrayed by the same service that once celebrated who I am.Shannon Leary, a lawyer specializing in anti-LGBTQ+ employment discrimination, told the AP, [The changed policy] seems quite arbitrary on its face and cruel. These military members have dedicated their lives to serving our country.Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, called the policy change devastating, adding, This is just betrayal of a direct commitment made to these service members. She said the effects of the policy will be severe, costing trans veterans hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetimes in denied benefits, Reuters reported.A February Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans support allowing out trans individuals to serve in the military, a decline from 71% in 2019. The Pentagon said it will pressure commanders and comb through existing annual medical screenings to find and kick out any trans service members who dont voluntarily leave beforehand.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.