Supreme Court Backs Tennessee Law, Marking Setback for Trans Rights

The equal protection section of the 14th Amendment is not violated by Tennessee's trans care ban, according to the Supreme Court.

A setback for transgender rights occurred when the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a Tennessee law that bans teens from receiving gender-affirming medical therapy. However, legal experts said that the decision was not as broad as it could have been.

The ruling left open the possibility of challenges to the growing number of government restrictions targeted at transgender individuals and their community. The court ruled that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which promises equal protection under the law, was not violated by Tennessee's Republican-backed law, which prevents medical treatments like hormones and puberty blockers for those under the age of 18 who suffer from gender dysphoria. Three liberal members of the court disagreed with the ruling, which was written by Chief Justice John Roberts and supported by the court's six conservative justices. Supporters of transgender rights called the decision a major setback, while supporters of the bill praised the Supreme Court's approval and encouraged other states to follow similar laws. The clinical diagnosis for a strong discomfort or distress someone feels when their gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were given at birth is called gender dysphoria. Challengers claim that the law was a type of discrimination because it treated transgender people unfairly. However, the court denied the challenger’s claim and decided the law does not violate the 14th Amendment’s protections.

The court said the ban was based on a person’s age and medical condition, and it applied what is known as a rational-basis review, a deferential process that only needs a rational connection between a statute and a legitimate state interest.