Former Norfolk officer sues city over forced locker-room sharing with a transgender recruit

Meghan Grabow, a former Norfolk police officer, lodged a lawsuit on Aug. 10 against the city and Police Chief Mark Talbot, alleging that department policy forced her to share the women’s locker room with a recruit identified as a biological male who identifies as a woman. The filing details the recruit entering the locker room in a suit and tie, looking at Grabow "as a man would look at a woman," after which she was told by superiors to either tolerate the situation or relocate.

Talbot reportedly told officers the recruit would use the restroom appropriate to her gender and to refer to her as "she." Following her complaints, Grabow received an indefinite suspension pending termination in 2025 over a minor traffic violation. Other officers have left the force over the department’s transgender policy.

Grabow seeks $15 million in damages, citing intentional infliction of emotional distress and infringement of her Catholic religious freedoms. Attorney Scott Lloyd said the case aims to protect female-only spaces, while the department declined comment, citing pending litigation.