In light of continuous and recent attacks on the safety, rights, health, and lives of transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse people by the Trump Administration, members of Congress, and even media outlets peddling misinformation, Lambda Legal released the following statement from Interim Chief Legal Officer, Camilla Taylor:
“To our transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse family: we see you, we care about you, and we fight alongside you. We acknowledge that your fear and concern are real and palpable. Our own federal government and many state governments have targeted trans, non-binary, and gender diverse communities for advocating for their lives, their health, and their rights —and the assaults are only intensifying. These attacks are personal for us. We have witnessed the impact on our clients and colleagues. And we know that our governments seek to silence us through threats and intimidation.
To our cisgender peers and allies: this is the moment to step up. Use your voice, your vote, your platforms, your workplaces, your resources, your communities, and your neighborhoods to stand with trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people. Visibility and tangible actions from allies save lives and can dramatically change outcomes. We have seen this throughout our history, as reflected in multiple civil rights movements, including in the progress made by our LGTBQ+ community.
As a national LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, we hold privilege, expertise, and a platform earned through decades of legal advocacy. We will use every tool in our toolbox to fight back against discriminatory attacks by our government. Let’s be clear: We are not backing down. Trans rights are human rights. Trans people are our siblings, family members, neighbors, and coworkers. Advocating for trans lives and rights should not be persecuted, but celebrated. Our government is failing in its duty to shield the most vulnerable and marginalized people among us from discrimination. But we are here to help protect you, and we need all of our allies at our side in this moment.
Today’s landscape includes executive orders that repudiate the very existence of transgender people, smear them as disloyal, untruthful, and unworthy of respect, exclude them from military service, deny them passports, and necessary health care. The attacks also include efforts to sneak cruel, and draconian anti-trans provisions into must-pass appropriations bills and efforts to block access to facilities, sports, and even the use of a bathroom. These measures are cruel and unlawful, and we will continue to challenge them.
Our lawyers are fighting back. We have so far sued the Trump Administration six times over its anti-LGBTQ executive actions, including the trans military ban, ban on gender-affirming care for trans young people, ban on access to passports, and ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as LGBTQ+ and HIV programs serving trans communities across the country. And we have won court orders in 5 cases so far protecting these communities as our lawsuits proceed.
Our promise is simple: we will continue to fight on every front:
- In federal and state courts to block discriminatory attacks, protect access to health care, defend families, and safeguard young people. We will fight all the way to the Supreme Court, where we are returning soon to advocate on behalf of trans youth for their right to participate in sports and school activities, in B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Board of Education, our shared case with the ACLU representing 15-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson from West Virginia.
- In statehouses and local communities,—as we recently did in Indiana—to protect transgender students from discrimination in schools and ensure all Hoosiers have identity documents that reflect who they are.
Our values are unwavering: every human being—regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression— deserves safety, respect, and the freedom to live with pride and dignity as who they are. We will keep fighting—in the courts, through policy advocacy, and on the ground—until those values are the lived reality for every trans, nonbinary, and gender diverse person.
We are here for the long haul. We need you with us.