Campaign by Story
Each year, TIME releases TIME100 – a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, celebrating the impact, innovation and achievement of the world’s artists, innovators, titans, leaders, icons, and pioneers who are making change today. NCLR is honored to announce that our Legal Director Shannon Minter was just named to the 2026 TIME100! A go-to expert and leader of our movement for more than 30 years, Shannon's hard work is making waves. Under his leadership, NCLR filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ executive orders in 2025. Shannon’s dedication to LGBTQ civil rights is an inspiration to us all!
READ SHANNON’S TIME100 PROFILE!
“When you hear Shannon before the court, what strikes you is his conviction. His steadiness comes from operating squarely within the truth: that the Constitution’s promise is real, the American dream belongs to all of us, and law, wielded with courage and precision, can be an instrument of genuine justice.” -Ricardo Martinez, Executive Director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), wrote Shannon's TIME100 profile
“I grew up in Texas knowing that I was different and feeling like an outsider, longing for a chance to belong and participate fully in the world around me. I became a lawyer to change that — not just for myself and other transgender people but for every LGBTQ person the law has failed to protect. For more than 30 years at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, I have represented plaintiffs who risked everything to do exactly that — challenging harmful federal and state policies, defending their families, and asserting their human rights to be safe from sexual violence while incarcerated. Their courage has reshaped our legal system and widened our vision of who belongs. They made me braver than I ever would have been on my own. TIME100’s recognition of this work means so much, especially in this moment.” -Shannon Minter