Chase Strangio, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, will become the first openly transgender lawyer to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. He will challenge Tennessee’s law that bans gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors during a high-stakes case on December 4. Strangio represents plaintiffs including transgender youth and their families, arguing that the law violates the 14th Amendment by discriminating based on gender identity.
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Chase Strangio, avocat à l’American Civil Liberties Union, sera le premier avocat transgenre à plaider devant la Cour suprême des États-Unis. Il contestera la loi du Tennessee qui interdit les soins médicaux affirmant le genre pour les mineurs transgenres lors d’une affaire cruciale le 4 décembre. Strangio représente des plaignants, dont des jeunes transgenres et leurs familles, soutenant que la loi viole le 14ème amendement en discriminant en fonction de l’identité de genre.
In December, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will break new ground as the first openly transgender lawyer to present a case before the US Supreme Court. This landmark moment occurs as they challenge a Tennessee law backed by Republicans that prohibits gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
Chase Strangio, 41, represents a coalition of transgender individuals who have filed a lawsuit against the legislation, which bans medical treatments such as hormone therapy and surgical procedures for minors facing gender dysphoria.
This case, one of the most significant in the current term of the Supreme Court, will be deliberated on December 4, when justices will hear an appeal from President Joe Biden’s administration, contesting a lower court ruling that upheld the Tennessee ban.
Recently, the Supreme Court determined that the argument time for those contesting the law should be shared between the Justice Department and the original plaintiffs’ attorneys. Strangio will be at the forefront, presenting the arguments in the ornate Supreme Court chamber.
Cecillia Wang, the ACLU’s Legal Director, declared Strangio as the foremost legal authority on transgender rights in the United States. Wang emphasized, “He brings not only exceptional legal skills but also the determination and spirit of a civil rights advocate.”
Since joining the ACLU in 2013, Strangio has co-directed its LGBTQ & HIV Project, actively fighting against numerous state laws aimed at transgender individuals, including ongoing legal challenges against similar statutes.
Strangio’s work includes representing notable figures such as Gavin Grimm, a transgender student who advocated for his right to use the restroom matching his gender identity in Virginia, and Chelsea Manning, a transgender former soldier who faced imprisonment for leaking classified information.
The Justice Department notes that Tennessee is among 22 states that have implemented laws focusing on medical interventions for minors with gender dysphoria, a clinical term for the substantial distress experienced due to a mismatch between one’s gender identity and biological sex assigned at birth.
Supporters of these prohibitive measures label the treatments as experimental and potentially dangerous. However, medical organizations argue that gender dysphoria is linked to elevated suicide rates and contend that gender-affirming treatments can be life-saving, citing long-term studies that support their effectiveness.
A group of plaintiffs, consisting of two transgender boys, a transgender girl, and their parents, have initiated legal action in Tennessee to protect the treatments they assert have positively impacted their well-being and happiness. The Justice Department has also stepped in to challenge the law’s validity.
The plaintiffs argue that the ban on care for transgender youth infringes on the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which ensures equal protection under the law, claiming it discriminates against these young individuals based on their sex and transgender identity. Additionally, the Justice Department’s filings underscore that one of the law’s intentions is to enforce gender conformity and deter adolescents from identifying as transgender.
In response, the state has urged the Supreme Court to uphold the legislation. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti articulated in a filing that “Tennessee lawfully exercised its power to regulate medicine by safeguarding minors from risky and unproven gender-transition treatments.”
A federal judge in Tennessee blocked this law in 2023, ruling that it likely violates the 14th Amendment, but the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later overturned this preliminary injunction in a 2-1 decision.
Over the past decade, the Supreme Court has tackled several significant cases concerning LGBT rights, including the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, a 2020 ruling that workplace discrimination laws protect LGBTQ+ employees, and a 2023 decision affirming businesses’ right to refuse services for same-sex weddings based on free speech protections.
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