California Bill Seeks to Protect Transgender Service Members Amid Federal Ban

Assembly Bill 1775, sponsored by Assemblymember Chris Ward, would grant California benefits—expedited licensing, discharge-upgrade priority, and a state housing grant—to transgender service members who receive a less-than-honorable discharge under the 2025 federal ban. The measure cleared both policy committees and awaits a Senate appropriations hearing.

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In February 2025 President Donald Trump issued the “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” order, overturning President Joe Biden’s transgender-service policy and deeming gender dysphoria incompatible with troop readiness. A federal appeals court later deemed the ban likely unconstitutional, allowing 28 plaintiffs to stay in service pending litigation.

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Navy sailor Chase Humes, a transgender man on testosterone, filed for voluntary separation in May 2025 to avoid forced discharge. Approved in June 2026, he received an honorable discharge, preserving VA health benefits, and must vacate San Diego housing by mid-July.

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Kat Koehlmoos, an Army Reserve veteran and SPARTA Pride board member, testified that many conceal gender identity to avoid discharge; SPARTA Pride co-sponsored AB 1775. DoD estimates 4,200 transgender troops; a 2014 UCLA study projects >15,000. Over 1,000 opted for voluntary separation; ~2,000 received less-than-honorable discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

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Ward said all service members deserve the benefits they would have received if cisgender and that the bill addresses a housing gap for veterans. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget allocated $2 million to the existing discharge-upgrade grant but not to the new housing grant.

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Critics note the bill lacks dedicated funding for the housing grant, limiting immediate impact; advocates warn data gaps on discharge numbers impede service planning.

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Ward first reported 2,900 of 4,200 transgender troops were in California, then retracted the figure; the exact number eligible for AB 1775 remains unclear.

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• “The whole reason I joined was for a better future for myself and my family, and it just got torn away,” — Chase Humes, U.S. Navy sailor

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• “Anyone could use my testimony today to report me to the Army Reserves here, and they would be required to take action to involuntarily discharge me from the U.S. military,” — Kat Koehlmoos, SPARTA Pride board member

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• “They have served honorably, and this was a separation that was involuntary, and they would deserve the full benefits that they otherwise would have been due had they been cisgender,” — Chris Ward, Assemblymember

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• “For me that’s heartbreaking, because that really is putting your life on hold,” — Kat Koehlmoos, SPARTA Pride board member

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AB 1775 awaits a Senate appropriations hearing; the appeals court continues reviewing the 2025 ban’s constitutionality.

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