San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump

San Francisco AIDS Foundation v. Trump

San Francisco AIDS Foundation along with multiple LGBTQ, health, and HIV organizations represented by Lambda Legal sued the Trump administration in order to challenge three executive orders that seek to erase transgender people and end diversity, equity, and inclusion approaches in our work.

Our values are not for sale. Our mission is not up for negotiation. And our community will not be erased to satisfy a hateful political agenda. For more than 40 years, SFAF has stood on the frontlines of the fight for justice—and today, we take that fight to the courts. This lawsuit is our declaration: We will not comply with discrimination. We will not abandon those who count on us. And we will not stop fighting until every person—no matter their identity—has the right to live with dignity, safety, and respect.

–Tyler TerMeer, PhD, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation

The organizations involved in the lawsuit are:

The lawsuit challenges Trump’s executive orders:

  • No. 14168, which says the U.S. only recognizes two sexes and prohibits federal contractors from recognizing gender identities.
  • No. 14151 and No. 14173, which target and seek to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.

Media

“We’ve had to watch in real time as the current administration has weaponized federal funding to try and force us into compliance with policies that have seeked to erase transgender people,” TerMeer said. “This lawsuit is about more than just policy. It’s about survival for the people we serve.”

KQED

“The government is attempting to erase a very specific group of people. Transgender and non-binary folks in our country are being singled out as individuals who are being told that they don’t exist,” Tyler TerMeer, one of the plaintiffs and CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told ABC News in an interview Thursday. “So this moment is us going to the courts and saying, ‘We won’t be silenced.'”

ABC News

“These executive orders aren’t just policy shifts; they are existential threats to our mission,” said Dr. Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, a lead plaintiff in the case, in an interview with The Advocate on Friday. “They dismantle decades of progress, undermine public trust, and directly endanger the lives of the communities we serve.”

The Advocate

“These executive orders attempt to erase an entire community and enshrines blatant discrimination as national policy” while threatening to withdraw funds from organizations “simply because they acknowledge the reality of the people they serve,” Lambda Legal’s Jose Abrigo, the lead lawyer in the case, said in a press call…

Axios

“Today, we take an urgent and necessary stand,” [TerMeer] said of joining the lawsuit. “We will not comply with policies that put lives at risk.”

Bay Area Reporter

The California suit, spearheaded by the San Francisco AIDS foundation and the GLBT Historical Society, said the administration is seeking to punish and defund the nonprofits for acknowledging the existence of transgender people and advocating for their rights. Its orders, therefore, violate the groups’ free speech, equal protection, and due process rights, they said.

Bloomberg Law

Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and one of the plaintiffs, expressed to ABC News: “The government is attempting to erase a very specific group of people. Transgender and non-binary folks in our country are being singled out as individuals who are being told that they don’t exist. So this moment is us going to the courts and saying, ‘We won’t be silenced.'”.

The Mirror

Despite receiving federal funding to support their causes, the groups maintain that the executive orders breach their Fifth Amendment rights under the US Constitution, which guarantees that “No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

The Mirror

Last updated on Jun 9, 2025. SFAF will continue to update this page as additional information becomes available.