Press Contact: Johnathan Gooch, [email protected], (512) 922-4040
Austin, TX – Today the US Supreme Court ruled on whether or not a state is allowed to ban gender-affirming care for minors. Three trans young people and their parents sued the state of Tennessee after that state banned gender-affirming care for youth. Today, the Court allowed the Tennessee law to stand.
The Court considered whether laws banning health care for trans youth violate the Equal Protections Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Court ruled that Tennessee’s ban hinged on an age distinction—what kind of care is available to adults versus minors—not a sex-based distinction. That means that laws targeting trans minors are only subject to the lowest level of scrutiny.
Since 2023, Texans have been living under similar legislation, banning gender-affirming care for minors. This does not change the law in Texas, which is also currently being challenged in the courts.
We know that rulings like this have a serious impact on the mental health of young trans people. Trans young people in crisis can reach out to the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
Statement from Sofia Sepulveda, Field Director, Equality Texas:
“I’ve been doing this work for a long time. And this setback is huge, but we’ve survived so much—we’ll survive this. Decisions like this, laws like this have come and gone but we will continue to be here, we will always be here.Trans Texans have a long history, enduring crackdowns on dress and legal rights for nearly a century. We’re too stubborn to go away, and we’re too strong to back down.”
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Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization working to secure full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Texans through political action, education, community organizing, and collaboration.