Nicolas Talbott completed Army Officer Candidate School in January after spending over nine years working to enlist in the U.S. military. “Earning my commission as a second lieutenant was a lifelong goal of mine, and achieving that goal was a dream come true,” he says.
Now his position in the Army Reserve is threatened by Donald Trump’s reinstatement of the transgender military ban, as Talbott is a trans man. But he’s fighting back as the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit Talbott v. USA.
“I’ll be continuing to challenge the current ban on transgender military service while remaining in my Army unit for as long as I can,” he says. “I’m also always exploring options to further my education and experiences and to just make the most I can out of life.”
“Trans folks are just like anyone else out there,” he adds. “At the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to live our lives and find our happiness — nobody should be making that process harder for anyone else.” @nic_talbott
Years before Stonewall, a cafeteria riot became a breakthrough for trans rights
All about the Compton's Cafeteria riot, when drag queens and trans women rose up against police at a diner in San Francisco.