Before the morning rush at a military base, LeAnne Withrow would discreetly enter the women’s restroom, usually around 2 or 3 a.m., to ensure she was alone.
Withrow came out as a transgender woman in 2016, a year before Donald Trump’s initial attempt to ban transgender people from the military. Her goal was simply to serve, support her fellow soldiers, and return home, not to become a symbol.
“I’ve made a conscious effort, especially early in my transition, to avoid causing problems,” Withrow told TIME, reflecting on the past nine years. “I just wanted to ensure I wouldn’t inconvenience anyone.”
However, a recent directive issued by Trump in January—mandating that all federal employees use facilities corresponding to their sex assigned at birth—has placed Withrow at the heart of a growing legal and political controversy.
In response to this mandate, the Department of Defense and other agencies have prohibited transgender employees from using restrooms aligning with their gender identity. Withrow, feeling like she’s “walking on eggshells,” has filed a complaint with the Army National Guard Bureau of Equal Opportunity Office regarding this policy change.
“I’m now concerned about choosing a restroom,” says Withrow, who enlisted in the military in 2010 and is now a civilian employee of the Illinois National Guard. “Life can be very dangerous for transgender individuals.”
Just a day after the class action complaint was filed, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s policy could remain in effect while multiple lawsuits against it are being litigated in lower courts, mirroring a similar decision from his previous term.
Emboldened by this decision, the Pentagon announced plans to remove at least 1,000 openly transgender troops from the military. Others have been given 30 days to self-identify as transgender, with the Defense Department threatening to review medical records to identify those who do not come forward.
“This will permanently and irreparably alter the careers and lives of many,” Withrow states. “Even if overturned later, their chance to serve might be lost forever.”
Before transitioning from a staff sergeant in the National Guard, Withrow was among the approximately 4,420 transgender military members, representing 0.2% of the total military personnel. While Withrow can keep her civilian job, she is worried that this situation will influence how future legal challenges to anti-transgender policies will unfold.
In January, the Administration threatened to cut federal funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to transgender youth, and at least one university which a transgender athlete to participate on the women’s swimming team in 2022.
Later this year, the Supreme Court will rule on , a case challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Justices will also hear a case on the constitutionality of . A recent Department of Health and Human Services report, which advocates say as a treatment for gender dysphoria, was released this May.
Withrow hopes to continue serving military families without facing discrimination. “I want to support soldiers, families, and veterans—and then go home at the end of the day. Somewhere in between, I’ll probably need to use the restroom.”