A transgender employee of the National Security Agency has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that a recent executive order defining sex as “immutable” violates federal law and unlawfully discriminates against transgender workers.
The plaintiff, Sarah O’Neill, a data scientist at the NSA, filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Maryland. The complaint challenges a Jan. 20, 2025 executive order signed by President Donald Trump that directs federal agencies to recognize only two sexes, male and female, across government policies, documents, and workplace practices.
According to the lawsuit, the executive order led to immediate changes within the NSA that stripped O’Neill of previously recognized workplace protections. She alleges the agency rescinded policies affirming her gender identity, prohibited her from listing female pronouns in official communications, and barred her from using women’s restrooms at work.
O’Neill’s attorneys argue these actions created a hostile work environment and amount to sex discrimination under federal law. The complaint cites Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination because of sex. In 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Title VII protections extend to gender identity and sexual orientation, a precedent the lawsuit says the executive order directly contradicts.
The lawsuit states that the Trump administration’s policy does not merely change administrative language but actively denies the existence of transgender people by rejecting gender identity as a protected characteristic. Attorneys argue the order frames gender identity as an ideology rather than a legally recognized status, placing transgender federal employees at risk of discrimination and exclusion.
In addition to injunctive relief, O’Neill is seeking restoration of her workplace protections and monetary damages for emotional distress and professional harm. The lawsuit also asks the court to prevent enforcement of the executive order as applied to federal employment practices.
The Trump administration has not publicly responded to the lawsuit. The executive order was one of several actions taken during Trump’s return to office that targeted transgender recognition in federal policy. Similar legal challenges are emerging across multiple agencies as advocacy groups and civil rights attorneys contest the administration’s approach to sex classification.
Legal experts say the case could have wide implications for transgender federal employees and for how far executive authority can go in redefining sex under existing civil rights law. LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations are closely monitoring the case, warning that the outcome could affect workplace protections across the entire federal workforce.
The case remains pending, with no hearing date announced.
