This Pride, NCLR has a lot to celebrate.

Just this past week, we secured victories that kept transgender servicemembers from losing their jobs, protected transgender people in prison from Trump policies that dramatically raise their risk of sexual assault, and won temporary protections shielding California families from the Trump administration’s attempt to seize their confidential medical records. Our Legal Director—and my good friend—Shannon Minter testified before the U.S. Senate again, this time as Democratic lawmakers’ sole witness on healthcare for transgender youth. And I’m thrilled to be back in the Bay Area after an extraordinary leadership summit in Brazil on protecting democracy worldwide.

And I’m back just in time for one of my favorite seasons: Pride.

San Francisco was my very first Pride. On that last weekend in June, many years ago, I remember feeling exhilarated and terrified all at once—a brand-new member of the community, and completely certain I was right where I belonged. So many of us see this city as a beacon of LGBTQ+ history and progress. I do too, wholeheartedly.

In a full-circle moment, I’m honored to serve as a Community Grand Marshal of this year’s San Francisco Pride Parade. I’m proud to represent our movement of resistance in action—and the relentless work NCLR is doing to win full and lasting equality. NCLR was also named Grand Marshal of San Diego Pride, in recognition of our lawsuit challenging Rady Health’s discriminatory denial of care to transgender youth.

I’m proud to share this moment with all of you—in San Francisco and across the country. There’s still nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.

With Pride,

Imani Rupert-Gordon

NCLR is a public interest law firm, which means we’re always in court. It’s what we do. For nearly 50 years, we’ve gone to court to defend our civil rights—and while it’s never been easy, the last 18 months have tested us like never before. Since the start of Trump’s second term, the pressure on our community—especially transgender people—has only mounted. Meeting it has demanded everything we have: relentless diligence, and the creativity to challenge this administration’s increasingly dangerous executive orders in court.

But here’s the thing: when we fight for LGBTQ justice, we win. Since the beginning of June alone, we’ve notched three major wins against this administration. And we’re just getting started.

On January 27, 2025, Trump issued an Executive Order barring transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military. Within days, we filed an immediate lawsuit and have spent the past year fighting for servicemembers and their families.

On January 22, 2026, almost exactly 12 months after Trump’s order, NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter argued before the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that Trump could not discharge of thousands of qualified troops based on nothing more than disapproval of transgender people.

On June 1, 2026, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed and affirmed a lower court’s decision blocking the Department of Defense from ending the military careers of our plaintiffs and preventing them from being put through a humiliating discharge process usually reserved for incidents of misconduct.

These are qualified Americans who answered the call to serve—and this ruling affirms that their careers cannot be ended, and their dignity cannot be stripped, simply because of who they are.

For our plaintiffs, this means they can keep serving the country they love—and on June 30, we’ll fight to secure that same protection for every transgender servicemember still living under the threat of discharge.

NCLR just won a case that shields transgender women from a Trump policy that exposed them to extreme risk of rape and sexual assault.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Bureau of Prisons to transfer transgender women from women’s prisons without regard to their individual safety risks. Transgender people are 10x more likely than other incarcerated people to face sexual assault and violence in prisons. For this reason, The Prison Rape Elimination Act requires prison officials to undertake an individualized assessment to determine where a transgender person can be safely housed.

NCLR filed emergency relief on behalf of our clients, and the court granted temporary injunctions. But securing their safety long-term demanded more: detailed evidence of the severe harm each woman faced, and proof of the government’s deliberate, unconstitutional indifference to it.

On June 7, 2026, after reviewing our evidence, the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia issued a new injunction—blocking Trump’s Bureau of Prisons from transferring our clients to facilities where they would face extreme risk of rape, violence, and assault at the hands of both inmates and staff.

This ruling does more than protect our clients from grave danger—it affirms that even behind prison walls, the government cannot callously sacrifice human safety to serve a political agenda, and that the courts will hold it to account when it tries.

This is the first case in the country to stop the Trump administration’s misuse of criminal subpoenas to seize the private medical records of transgender young people—and NCLR won it.

For months, the Department of Justice has been serving subpoenas on hospitals across the country, demanding these records in a blatant attempt to bully and harass the families and providers who care for them. Courts have already condemned the demands as unlawful overreach—lacking any legitimate investigative purpose, amounting to intimidation and harassment of patients.

The DOJ’s response? Escalation. It accelerated its push for protected patient information and crossed a line no administration had crossed before: issuing criminal subpoenas against hospitals to force the records out.

Among the targets were hospitals where our clients—transgender minors—received care. NCLR moved fast. On June 8, 2026, a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the DOJ from obtaining private medical records from any hospital in California. Never before has the federal government tried to wield the power of federal prosecutors to seize private medical records—and now, for the first time, a court has said no.

“People shouldn’t be ripped off by those falsely claiming that they can change who you are attracted to or who you are. In our Colorado for all, everyone can live authentically and should not be subject to hateful and simply ineffective conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is harmful, can traumatize kids, and is a scam to waste people’s hard-earned money.”

-Colorado Governor Jared Polis

NCLR was proud to help pass Colorado’s 2019 law banning conversion therapy for minors—a protection that safeguarded vulnerable young people for years. In March 2026, in the disappointing decision in Chiles v. Salazar, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the law needed to be more carefully drafted to be viewpoint neutral.

The consensus is overwhelming: conversion therapy is harmful, unethical, and malpractice. Working with Colorado legislators, NCLR helped draft new legislation built on that foundation—holding conversion therapists accountable for the harm they knowingly inflict on their patients. On June 1, Governor Jared Polis signed HB26-1322, giving anyone subjected to “conversion therapy” the right to bring a civil claim against the professionals who damaged them by seeking to impose a predetermined outcome with respect to sexual orientation or transgender status.

We’re now partnering with other states to do the same—drafting legislation that integrates the guidance from Chiles v. Salazar and continues to protect youth. The new Colorado law also extends the statute of limitations—the window survivors have to bring a malpractice claim. That’s a well-established practice for trauma survivors, who often need time to come to terms with what happened before they’re ready to come forward.

The fight to protect LGBTQ youth doesn’t end with a single ruling—and as long as LGBTQ youth remain at risk, NCLR will keep finding the legal tools to defend them, state by state. If you are interested in working on this issue in your state, please reach out to cstoll@nclrights.org.

NCLR’s Champions for Justice Gala last month was a huge success! Thank you to those of you who joined us in person for a beautiful and inspiring evening. The Gala program included a host of engaging speakers from NCLR and beyond. If you weren’t in the room with us, you can hear the poignant words of our guests Paola Ramos, Jazz Jennings, Gordon Herrero and Andrea Fernandes from the Golden State Valkyries, and from our staff, President Imani Rupert-Gordon, Legal Director Shannon Minter and Senior Staff Attorney Amy Whelan now that the full Gala video has been posted to YouTube!

Gala video now available: NCLR’s Champions for Justice 2026

Legal Director Shannon Minter joins host June Grasso to discuss the federal appellate court ruling in Talbott v. USA stopping the Trump administration from discharging transgender servicemembers from the military. Listen here.

NCLR’s Legal Director Shannon Minter just testified before the U.S. Senate! Watch this clip of his powerful and poised testimony about the benefits of medical care for transgender youth on our Instagram.

At NCLR, we take pride in being an LGBTQ civil rights organization you can be proud to support. Our commitment to fighting hate and enshrining LGBTQ equality—in the courts, city halls, statehouses, and Congress–never wavers. Your gift today makes it possible.

TAKE PRIDE. FIGHT HATE. FUND JUSTICE!

Visit the NCLR store to get your own, limited-edition NCLR pride t-shirt today!

NCLR is thrilled that our President, Imani Rupert-Gordon, has been selected by the SF Pride membership as one of this year’s Grand Marshals and she will be representing NCLR in the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 28th.

NCLR has been selected as a Grand Marshal of the San Diego Pride Parade. As part of the 2026 Spirit of Stonewall Awards, San Diego Pride is recognizing the fierce love, leadership and resilience of LGBTQIA+ civil rights defenders that continue to drive our movement forward.

NCLR is proud to share this honor with the other awardees and is excited to join the San Diego Pride parade on July 18th. Pride shines on!

Learn more.

The Advocate, “Senators clash over whether parents or politicians should decide on trans youth care: A contentious hearing exposed deep divisions over parental rights, medical autonomy, and the future of gender-affirming care for minors.” by Christopher Wiggins, June 3, 2026

The Stanford Daily, “Trans minors sue to block federal subpoena of Stanford medical records.” By Dilan Gohill, June 3, 2026

The Advocate, “California families sue to stop Trump DOJ from obtaining trans kids’ records via Texas grand jury: Parents of trans children are asking a federal court to block an effort to obtain sensitive medical records through an out-of-state grand jury.” By Christopher Wiggins, May 29, 2026

ABC News, “Appeals court blocks removal of transgender troops, but allows restrictions on recruits: It does not bar the blocking of transgender people from joining the military.” By Peter Charalambous, June 1, 2026

The Advocate, “Court rules Trump can’t move transgender womeThe San Francisco Chronicle, “California families sue over Texas-based demand for trans children’s health data.” By Bob Egelko, May 28, 2026n to men’s prisons: The judge’s order keeps 14 incarcerated women in their current placements after the court found evidence of serious safety risks.” By Christopher Wiggins, June 8, 2026

The San Francisco Chronicle, “California families sue over Texas-based demand for trans children’s health data.” By Bob Egelko, May 28, 2026

The New York Times, “Appeals Court Says 28 Transgender Troops Who Sued Can Remain in Military: The ruling gives a temporary reprieve to a group of service members while their lawsuit proceeds. The plaintiffs plan to ask the court to extend the ruling to all transgender troops.” By Dave Philipps, June 1, 2026

LGBTQ Nation, “Donald Trump forced Erica Vandal out of the military. So she’s fighting back: I’m hoping the institution and its doctrine and its traditions and lineage in history is enough to weather this increase in partisanship.” By Greg Owen, May 25, 2026

Deadline: “GLAAD, HRC, PFLAG Among 40+ Orgs Denouncing FCC’s Attempt To Require “Warning Label” On LGBTQ Programming.” By Glenn Garner, May 22, 2026