Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth insulted trans women during his keynote address at this year’s Special Operations Forces Week.
“Everything starts and ends with warriors, from training to the battlefield,” he said. “We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns. No more climate change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses, we’re done with that sh*t.” The crowd laughed and then applauded.
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Pete Hegseth gives trans people several weeks to “voluntarily” leave the military
“This is not voluntary. This is a decision that folks are coming to under duress.”
The speech took place on May 6, the same day the Supreme Court said the administration can implement the transgender military ban while the lawsuits against the policy proceed.
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Since the lawsuits could take years, there are an estimated 8,000 to 15,000 trans service members who could be kicked out of the military due to this Supreme Court decision.
. @SecDef We are leaving WOKENESS and WEAKNESS behind.
— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) May 6, 2025
No more pronouns, no more climate change obsessions, no more emergency vaccine mandates, no more DUDES IN DRESSES.
We are done with that sh*t.” pic.twitter.com/MSunWnRYXU
On his show, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer praised the speech, declaring that “the military is not a social experiment.”
“Focus, defending the country, that’s what it’s all about,” he said.
The military is not a social experiment.
— The Sean Spicer Show (@seanspicershow) May 8, 2025
Thanks to Pete Hegseth and the Supreme Court, our military can now focus on defending our country and ban transgender military service members.
Hegseth said it best: "No more dudes in dresses. We're done with that s***." pic.twitter.com/jnYCUJLGR7
In reality, a 2016 study by the RAND Corporation found that trans people do not harm military readiness and that foreign militaries have successfully enlisted trans military service members without any negative effects on effectiveness, readiness, or unit cohesion.
The study also found that the cost of trans-related medical care is exceedingly small relative to the Department of Defense’s overall healthcare costs.
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