Chase Strangio, an ACLU lawyer, will be the first openly transgender attorney to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court in December. Strangio is representing a group of transgender people challenging Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors. The case is one of the most significant of the court’s current term, with arguments scheduled for December 4. Strangio is a leading expert on transgender rights and has been instrumental in opposing state laws targeting transgender individuals.
Tennessee is one of 22 states that have passed measures restricting medical interventions for adolescents with gender dysphoria. Proponents of the restrictions argue that the treatments are experimental and potentially harmful, while medical associations claim that gender-affirming care is life-saving. Plaintiffs in the Tennessee case, including transgender youth and their parents, argue that denying care violates equal protection under the 14th Amendment by discriminating based on sex and transgender status.
The Justice Department has intervened in the lawsuit to challenge the law, which aims to enforce gender conformity and discourage adolescents from identifying as transgender. Tennessee’s Attorney General argues that the law protects minors from risky and unproven gender-transition interventions. The Supreme Court will decide the fate of the law, which was blocked by a federal judge in 2023 but then reversed by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case is part of the Supreme Court’s ongoing consideration of LGBTQ rights, following landmark decisions on same-sex marriage and workplace discrimination. The outcome will have significant implications for the rights and treatment of transgender individuals in the United States.
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