Federal Court Allows Ban On Transgender Treatment For Minors To Take Effect
On Thursday, a federal appeals court ruled that laws banning transgender treatments for minors in both Tennessee and Kentucky could go into effect — rejecting a preliminary injunction that requested puberty blockers and transgender surgeries be allowed to continue while the case was litigated.
The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision was a major setback for the far-left American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which had filed lawsuits challenging the laws in both states.
In the 2-1 majority opinion, the appeals court ruled that the “concept of gender dysphoria as a medical condition is relatively new and the use of drug treatments” on minors is “even more recent.”
“Prohibiting citizens and legislatures from offering their perspectives on high-stakes medical policies, in which compassion for the child points in both directions, is not something life-tenured federal judges should do without a clear warrant in the Constitution,” the ruling continued.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R) and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) both celebrated the ruling, calling it a victory for children and their parents.
“This is a big win for democracy. Decisions that are not clearly resolved by the Constitution should be resolved by the people through their elected representatives. I am so proud of our team who stood strong against the overwhelming resources arrayed against Tennessee in this case,” read a statement from Skrmetti posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Meanwhile, the ACLU is vowing to continue to fight against the law — even if it goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Denying transgender youth equality before the law and needlessly withholding the necessary medical care their families and their doctors know is right for them has caused and will continue to cause serious harm,” the group claimed in a statement.
Daily Wire host Matt Walsh celebrated the victory in a thread on X, where he explained the ruling and the ACLU’s arguments.
“Last night, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a devastating ruling for the trans cult. No other court decision has so thoroughly dismantled, point-by-point, every disingenuous argument from trans activists,” he wrote.
“Indeed, just this month, we learned that previous data from the UK justifying the use of puberty blockers was wildly misleading. A re-analysis of this data showed that a third of so-called trans youth suffered mental health problems after taking puberty blockers,” Walsh added in another post.
“In their attempt to win this case despite this evidence, the ACLU tried to claim that ‘transgender people’ are a special category entitled to unique protections under the Constitution. They argued that any law affecting only ‘trans’ people is akin to a law affecting only black people, and must be carefully scrutinized by courts,” he continued.
“The point of this strategy is to subvert the will of the voters,” another post read, adding that the ACLU made “a series of arguments that backfired massively, and created precedent that will be devastating for trans activists for years to come. First, the ACLU claimed that the trans community is a ‘politically powerless’ group that’s being unfairly treated. The court pointed out that when every major law firm, the feds, and medical organizations are on your side, you are not marginalized.”
“The ACLU also attempted to argue that transgender status is ‘immutable,’ like being born with a certain skin color,” Walsh explained. “But the Sixth Circuit observed that the meaning of ‘transgender’ status is constantly changing. Every day there’s a new gender.”
