On February 3, 2025, we filed a motion for preliminary injunction asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block enforcement of President Trump’s January 27, 2025, order banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, while litigation against the ban proceeds.

About the case:

On January 28, 2025, The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) have filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging President Trump’s January 27, 2025, order banning transgender people from serving in the U.S. military.  

The suit, Talbott v. Trump, was filed on equal protection grounds on behalf of six active service members and two individuals actively seeking enlistment. 

Plaintiffs serve across all branches of the military and are contributing among the highest levels, including a Major, a Captain, a Sergeant, and a Navy Pilot.  They bring decades of experience, training, and education, including a West Point education and several master’s degrees.  They have decorated careers, with commendations ranging from Sailor of the Year and Meritorious Service Medals to Joint Service Commendations and a Bronze Star. Some have been a part of decorated military families spanning generations and have served honorably throughout the country and the world on many deployments. 

GLAD Law and NCLR led the legal challenge to Trump’s first transgender military ban, issued in 2017. Multiple federal courts found that ban to be unconstitutional, blocking it from taking effect for nearly two years. President Biden reversed the ban in 2021. 

In addition to NCLR and GLAD Law, plaintiffs are represented by Joseph Wardenski, Principal Attorney, Wardenski P.C.