The U.S. Air Force on Thursday said transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years would be denied the opportunity to retire early and instead will be separated from the military without benefits.

Trans troops will now have the option of accepting a lump sum payout offered to junior service members or be removed from the service.

A spokesperson for the Air Force told the Associated Press that “although service members with 15 to 18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved.”

Some trans airmen, about a dozen, were “prematurely notified” that they were able to retire early before the decision was reversed, the spokesperson said.

Responding to the news, Human Rights Campaign Chief of S

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