Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American Civil Liberties Union lawyer says the Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors is “a devastating loss for transgender people” and “everyone who cares about the Constitution.”

The justices’ 6-3 decision Wednesday effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to Tennessee’s.

Chief Justice John Roberts writes for a conservative majority the law does not violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause. Justice Sonia Sotomayor writes in a dissent the majority “abandons transgender children” to political whims.

(IMAGE: Associated Press)