Protect Trans Youth

The US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday June 18th that Tennessee (and 26 other states with similar laws) can prohibit gender-affirming care for minors. US vs Skrmetti is a devastating assault on the bodily autonomy of trans youth and portends to a bigger fight to come as these same odious political forces will likely mobilize to ban all gender-affirming care going forward.

Since 2021, 26 states have passed laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. They have also banned trans youth from participating in sports leagues. The rightwing political movement has made trans youth a focal point in their culture war against LGBTQ+ rights.

Despite almost every major medical and mental health organization in the US asserting that gender-affirming care is both evidence-based and medically necessary, the Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision has okayed a form of State hostility towards a vulnerable and already marginalized population. The Trevor Project has found that these anti-trans bills can increase the risk of suicide amongst trans-youth by 72%.

In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote “"[The Court] authorizes, without second thought, untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them… By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims," she wrote. "In sadness, I dissent."