Under President Joe Biden’s administration, transgender women who are born male must register for the Selective Service, which provides the Defense Department with troops in the event of a military draft. Transgender men who are born female do not have to register for the Selective Service. While the policy was established before Biden took office, the Biden administration has not changed the standard.
According to the Selective Service System website, nearly “all male US citizens and male immigrants, who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service.” The website states that all biological males must register for the draft, including “U.S. citizens or immigrants who are born male and have changed their gender to female.”
The website also notes that “Individuals who are born female and have changed their gender to male” do not have to register.
The policy came to light after the Selective Service’s official Twitter account posted, “Parents, if your son is an only son and the last male in your family to carry the family name, he is still required to register with SSS. Learn more about who needs to register at https://sss.gov/register/who-needs-to-register/.”
Many Twitter users pushed back on the Selective Service’s tweet, writing that their sons will simply identify as women to avoid the draft.
“My son’s a girl now so we good,” one user wrote.
“For the purpose of SSS my son will identify as a girl starting with his 18th birthday. Checkmate fascist,” another tweeted.
While the Biden administration still treats transgender women as males when it comes to the currently male-only military draft, the administration has also voiced support for including women in the draft.
Last year the White House said it supports including all women in the draft around the same time the House and Senate Armed Services Committee leaders agreed to remove a provision requiring women to register for the Selective Service from the National Defense Authorization Act.
“The administration supports section 513 and the registration requirement for all citizens, which further ensures a military selective system that is fair and just,” the Biden administration said in a Sept. 21, 2021 statement of administrative policy.
