A transgender employee of the National Security Agency has filed a lawsuit challenging new federal policies on gender recognition.
The plaintiff, Sarah O’Neill, is an NSA data scientist who argues the measures violate federal civil rights law.
The legal action targets an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day.
The order requires the federal government to recognise only two “immutable” sexes in all official operations.
O’Neill filed the lawsuit in the US District Court in Maryland earlier this week.
The complaint argues the policy denies the legal existence of transgender people within government institutions.
O’Neill claims the executive order directly contradicts protections under Section VII of the Civil Rights Act.
In 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled that discrimination based on gender identity constitutes sex discrimination.
The lawsuit relies heavily on that precedent to support its claims.
O’Neill alleges that following the order, the NSA cancelled policies recognising her transgender identity.
The complaint says she lost protections guaranteeing a workplace free from unlawful harassment.