SerpApi.Org
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to explain its recent promotion of testosterone therapy for some service members while using that same treatment as justification for removing transgender troops from the military.
In a brief two-paragraph order, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, took note of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s July 15 video captioned “The High-T Department of War,” in as part of one of the lawsuits against the administration’s anti-trans military ban.
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Earlier this month Hegseth announced that the Defense Department will start testing the testosterone levels of service members 30 years and older and will offer optional testosterone replacement therapy to those with low levels of the hormone.
Judge Reyes asked the administration to explain the “basis for treating trans men and other service members differently between this new policy and the Military ban.”
She also asked both parties — the Trump administration and the trans people challenging the ban — to address the medical guidelines and costs around screening and administering testosterone replacement therapy, as well as how treatments differ between cis and trans men.
The groups are ordered to produce documents and expert testimony by August 7.
Since President Trump’s return to office, his administration has leveraged a variety of federal agencies to try to restrict access to gender-affirming care like testosterone for trans youth, and roll back protections for trans people broadly, including trans servicemembers.
At the same time, various Trump officials from Hegseth to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have touted the benefits of testosterone and have pushed to make it easier for men to get a prescription to combat low libido, improve mood and boost overall health.
