The Pentagon this week published, then abruptly withdrew, detailed clinical rules for testing the testosterone levels of active-duty men, an about-face that has done little to quiet criticism of a program many see as a glaring double standard for how the military treats hormone therapy.
A Program Built, Then Unbuilt
The Defense Health Agency posted clinical guidance on testosterone screening on Sept. 2, offering the first real look at how Hegseth's summer promise of a "High-T Department of War" would actually function. Less than a day later, the guidance vanished from the department's website. A U.S. official told Reuters it had been "temporarily rescinded to allow for updates," though the Pentagon has not explained what needed changing or why it published the document before making those changes. Interim guidance reportedly remains in effect, and Hegseth's underlying order has not been withdrawn. The Pentagon told the Washington Blade only that new guidance would be issued "shortly."
What the Rules Said, While They Existed
Under the now-pulled guidance, men 30 and older would be required to undergo testosterone blood tests as part of routine care; younger men would be tested only if they requested it or a clinician flagged possible symptoms of deficiency. Women would be treated differently: rather than routine blood tests, clinicians would screen them for symptoms like fatigue, menstrual disruption and relative energy deficiency in sport, and assess those 35 and older for perimenopause and menopause. Testosterone treatment for women would be considered only for postmenopausal patients, used off-label and closely monitored, with the guidance itself acknowledging the evidence doesn't support claims that it improves women's cognition, bone density or muscle performance.
Taking care of your long-term health means ensuring you remain strong, resilient, and capable, not just for your next deployment, but for the rest of your life.
Pete Hegseth
One Hormone, Two Standards
The contradiction at the center of this story isn't new, but the screening rollout has made it harder to ignore. The Pentagon is now actively encouraging testosterone testing and treatment for troops it presumes to be cisgender, framing it as a readiness tool. At the same time, the Trump administration is fighting in court to remove transgender troops from the military and cut off their access to gender-affirming hormone care, arguing that treatment tied to being transgender undermines fitness for duty. Rep. Pramila Jayapal put it plainly when Hegseth first announced the initiative in a congressional hearing.
This, by the way, is gender affirming care.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal
SPARTA Pride, a nonprofit representing transgender service members, veterans and their allies, made a similar point directly to the Blade. Its executive director, Kara Corcoran, argued that the same category of treatment can't be evidence of readiness for one group of troops and evidence of unfitness for another. The Pentagon did not respond when the Blade asked why cisgender troops could receive testosterone therapy while transgender troops could not.
Where the Ban Stands
Trump's January 2025 executive order, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," moved to bar transgender people from enlisting or continuing to serve, and Hegseth's Pentagon has pursued formal separation proceedings against trans personnel even as litigation continues. A federal district judge found the order likely unconstitutional in March 2025, and a divided appeals panel agreed, but the Supreme Court has allowed enforcement to continue while the case plays out. On June 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that currently serving trans troops could stay in uniform for now, while still letting the military refuse new trans recruits. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to review that ruling.
Our Read
Strip away the paperwork problems and what's left is a policy built on a premise that doesn't hold up: that hormone therapy is a readiness asset when a cisgender man takes it and a readiness liability when a transgender person does. Roughly 1,900 active-duty service members received gender-affirming care under the Defense Department between 2016 and 2021 without the crisis the ban's supporters describe. If testosterone genuinely makes troops "stronger" and "more capable," as Hegseth has said, that logic doesn't stop being true depending on who's holding the prescription. The confusion over these screening rules is a bureaucratic hiccup. The double standard underneath them is the actual story, and it isn't going anywhere while the ban remains in effect.
Sources: Washington Blade, PinkNews, The Advocate
Cover photo: U.S. Department of Defense, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
