Air Force Denies Early Retirement for Transgender Men and Women

At least a dozen transgender men and women serving in the U.S. Air Force who had applied for early retirement to avoid being kicked out of the service for their gender identity have had their retirement approval rescinded by the service.

The airmen, all of whom have served 15 to 18 years, must now choose between a voluntary separation agreement or involuntary removal with few, if any, benefits. Either course of action will result in a substantial loss of financial, medical and other benefits worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to each of them.

The Air Force’s decision on Wednesday to rescind its approval of early retirements for transgender men and women, which was...