Summary
Chase Strangio will become the first openly transgender attorney to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court, representing families challenging Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming health care for minors.
Tennessee defends the law as protecting children from premature medical decisions, while Strangio argues the ban denies critical care endorsed by major medical groups.
The case comes amid growing restrictions on transgender rights nationwide.
Strangio, an ACLU lawyer, emphasizes the harm of denying necessary treatments, drawing from personal experience.
A decision is expected by summer, with potential policy shifts under the next administration.
There are tons of things we don’t let minors do. I know most of you will hate me, but I support the ban. People over 25 can do whatever the fuck they want. It varies for 18, 21 etc. if you want to remove this age barrier, remove all of them, but be prepared to deal with the consequences like rental cars costing three times as much because 19-year-olds are fucking stupid.
The thing is, this care helps kids with gender dysphoria to get through their teenage years and make it to adulthood. It can’t simply be postponed until later without serious impact on the well being of the kid. We are talking about things like puberty blockers here, not surgeries:
Gender dysphoria is by all accounts a deeply troubling experience during teenage years, particularly if your body is growing in a direction that makes you ever more uncomfortable. Puberty blockers can help:
You can’t do this once you’re already an adult, and there are physical changes you might be deeply uncomfortable with that can be locked in by puberty and will now require more radical interventions as an adult. I know trans adults who really struggle with the feeling that they should have started medical treatments sooner, before puberty brought changes to their bodies.
These treatments aren’t prescribed lightly either, contrary to what some right-wing voices would have you imagine. From the same Mayo Clinic page:
Nice, but what have you done today so that more people see this info, so that we have less next door ignorance like what is manifested all over Lemmy?
Maybe I missed the joke, but he did write up an informative, sourced and well laid out comment about it? I for one found it interesting, I knew of the general reasoning but hadn’t taken the time to research the facts behind it.
Exactly. I said it is so good that more people should see it.
Let’s do our part people and stop downvoting each other…
Maybe you could help, instead of bemoaning that the one who already worked hard didn’t work hard enough? They’re already flat-out sprinting toward your four-wheel drive goalposts.
Man dial it down a bit, I am combating transphobic ignorance on Lemmy almost full time. I am just worried that the only ones seeing our good arguments are you and me. Otherwise, I won’t respond to that tone.
I got in trouble a moment ago and had my comment removed cause I said unsavory things about you.
Quit your sealioning, yeah? I looked down your post history and have a reasonable belief you’re better than this.
Removed by mod
Treating trans kids with hormones to stave off puberty is not permanent. It is a temporary hold on physical adolescence to give the child a chance to mature mentally and emotionally so they can make a decision later on.
In reality it’s no different than someone dying their hair a different color. If they like it, they keep on dying it … but they can also choose to stop at any time and let their hair go back to their natural color.
There are fundamental differences between allowing minors to access health care that they require in a timely manner and letting a 19 year old rent a car.
Healthcare should be a right afforded to all people. Privileges are not rights and it is perfectly reasonable to restrict them based on age.
I don’t hate you for your opinion, but I do think you are misinformed on the subject.
Medical treatments with a parent’s consent aren’t at all similar to any of the things you mentioned. Read some statistics on suicide rates in untreated trans populations before you act like medical care is at all similar to renting a car.
So yes, I hate you for supporting a ban on life-saving care for children. And your slippery slope fallacy is fucking stupid, btw.
Gender affirming care include puberty blockers.
The context that you’re missing here is that puberty, especially the testosterone-fueled one, is consequential whereas delaying puberty is not. Also, your working concept of “what percentage of people are going to sign up for hormone replacement or gender-affirming surgery and then regret it later” is just not in line with reality. Regret does happen, of course, but it is rare.
Lets be clear here. This is not a “health care ban for minors”. If you are under 18 and you are looking for gender related care - which can include psychological support you require the consent of all involved parents and guardians and a licenced medical professional.
The average team who all have to agree for a young trans person’s gender health to go forward and continue forward is as follows.
Guardians : need to be supportive, willing and be capable to demonstrate informed consent.
Pediatric Doctor : Serves as the baseline General practitioner since a young person’s body development has specific differences from an adult.
Psychiatric Doctor : To repeatedly assess whether the young person is a good candidate and adhering to diagnostic frameworks of similar cases to lessen risks should there appear to be any oddities or reticence in continuing.
Social Case Worker : Investigates the child’s relationship between parents and guardians to make sure coercion is not at play.
Endocrinologist : In the event of pursuing hormones or blockers this specialist observes the process and paitents must routinely go in to make sure no adverse effects are occurring.
Any of these parties may revoke their endorsement for treatment if something appears to not be going to plan. It is this panel OF ADULTS who consult and operate with informed medical consent that these laws are stripping the choices to pursue recognized treatment plans from. Not minors who are by default powerless if these adults do not align with their wishes.
https://www.them.us/story/gender-affirming-surgery-vast-majority-cis-kids-study
Ding ding ding 97% of the gender affirming care was for cis boys to remove breast tissue.
And yet they still want government oversight because of the >3%.
“There are tons of things we don’t let minors do”
Stop fucking lying and finish the sentence.
"Without parental permission "
Stop pretending like this is about minors deciding for themselves without any parental input or guidance.
You are being dishonest.
This is a slippery slope fallacy. People are arguing in favor of a careful, suitable, medical treatment, not in favor of utter relentlessness. Unless gender is that important to your worldview, that society is at risk of immediate collapse because of gender affirming care??
Exactly. And other things people can do at 16, that they can’t do at 12. Do you have specific arguments[1] about the age range of gender affirming care?
A trans person in their 25-30’s having undergone puberty will have to undergo expensive and painful procedures that could not undo all of the unwanted effects of puberty. Do you think this is a better outcome? Experts don’t!
And most importantly: What do you think gender-affirming care is?
Logic dictates that if you suggest a range like >25yo, you should back it up with arguments, other than “gender transition sounds scary so I should restrict it for anyone looking for it” ↩︎
Which other age barrier are you upset about?
Paternalism much?
You’re in favor of putting politicians between doctors and patients. Good job!
Yay let’s kill children
Don’t worry the vast majority of us feel as you do, we simply keep silent so the rabid mass does not descend upon us.
Social media helps to create and draw in unhealthy perspectives that can’t help but viciously attack those who view things from the perspective of sanity.