As President Trump’s executive order on transgender military service began to take shape, transgender service members were already bracing for a fight that had been anticipated for months. When second lieutenant Nicolas Talbott, a transgender man, checked his smartwatch one evening in January, he was met with a flood of messages about the new restrictions set to reshape military policy. His immediate reaction? “Well, it happened. Here we go.”
Talbott, who had enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve only months before, wasn’t caught off guard. Within hours, he and five other transgender military members joined forces with the LGBTQ rights group GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights to file a lawsuit. Their target? The executive order they argue violates constitutional protections for equal rights.
“We’re not just fighting to block this order,” Talbott said. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that transgender service members can serve without fear, regardless of who occupies the White House.”
Trump’s earlier attempts to ban transgender people from military service had caused turmoil but fell short of full enforcement, instead halting recruitment while allowing current service members to remain. With his re-election, however, a new executive order presented fresh challenges. This time, the order reframed transgender service in terms of medical and moral unfitness, citing gender identity as incompatible with the discipline expected of a soldier. The order also set the stage for restrictions on pronouns and medical requirements, further complicating the path for those already in uniform.
The legal battle now unfolding is just the beginning, according to transgender advocates like Jennifer Levi, senior director of transgender and queer rights at GLAD Law. “We’re preparing for every possible scenario,” she said, as the fight over military service intensifies.
In anticipation of the looming policy change, groups like SPARTA, a non-profit advocacy organization, had already begun preparing service members for what might lie ahead. Navy Commander Emily Shilling, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, described how nearly two dozen transgender military members came together to rehearse tough scenarios long before the election results came in.
“We didn’t wait for the policy to change—we prepared for the worst,” Shilling said. Membership in SPARTA grew by 10% after Trump’s re-election, swelling to 2,200 members, many of whom are senior-ranking service members.
For many, the looming restrictions have become a personal mission. Navy intelligence analyst Paulo Batista, who joined the military in 2022, has already started training his peers to step into his role should he be forced to leave.
“We have to be ready for whatever happens next,” Batista explained. “These young service members must know how to represent themselves and stand up for their rights.”
The legal groundwork for this new battle was laid long before the November election. Following Trump’s 2017 Twitter announcement, transgender advocates were quick to react. By the time the 2024 election concluded, more than 100 transgender service members and potential enlistees had reached out to GLAD Law, eager to take action. For individuals like Koda Nature, a 23-year-old Texan hoping to continue a family tradition of military service, the threat of a ban represents more than just policy—it’s personal.
“I want to serve my country, and this policy could stop me from doing that,” Nature said, reflecting the deep personal stakes of the ongoing struggle.
As the lawsuit progresses, transgender military members remain resolute. Talbott sums it up best: “This fight isn’t just about today—it’s about ensuring our place in the military for generations to come.”
