The ACLU community showed up in a big way this week.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in our case, U.S. v. Skrmetti – where the ACLU’s own lawyer, Chase Strangio, argued to protect the rights of trans people and our families across the country and defend our freedom to make our own medical choices about our bodies.
This case centers around a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for trans adolescents – a ban that ignores the scientific and medical support for these treatments, discriminates against trans people on the basis of sex, and gives the state the ability to make medical decisions for us, rather than our doctors and families.
In the words of our 16-year-old client’s father, “Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical care is an active threat to the future my daughter deserves.” The ACLU showed up in force to support trans rights and make clear to the court that this ban would unconstitutionally harm us all.
Outside the Supreme Court, our passion for trans justice was just as evident – nearly a thousand ACLU supporters rallied outside to show support for the young trans clients at the heart of this case and support trans people’s freedom to be themselves. Parents and trans youth, performers, religious leaders, civil rights advocates, members of Congress, and more all gathered to send a clear message that we will never back down in the fight for trans justice.
Our message was shared by those outside of D.C. – with over 170,000 people signing onto our action asking the Supreme Court to uphold the promises of our Constitution and protect trans kids and the families impacted in this case.
This is why the ACLU exists – when our rights are threatened, we show up and fight back.
We’ll keep you up to date on the latest as we await the Supreme Court’s decision. In the meantime, thanks for fighting with us.
Together,
The ACLU Team
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA