Trans Healthcare

Jul 21, 2021

Updated Jul 21, 2021, 03:13pm EDT Topline Arkansas’ controversial ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender children was temporarily blocked by a federal judge Wednesday, amid a nationwide surge in state-level restrictions on trans people. getty Key Facts A federal judge in Arkansas issued a preliminary injunction, meaning the law — which was set to take effect in one week — is on pause while a legal challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union works its way through the courts, according to online federal court records. The injunction was announced in a bench decision Wednesday, meaning a written copy of the ruling and the judge’s rationale is not currently available. In a statement, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (R) vowed to appeal the decision. Crucial Quote “This ruling sends a clear message to states across the country that gender-affirming care is life-saving care, and we won’t let politicians in Arkansas — or anywhere else — take it away,” ACLU of Arkansas Executive Director Holly Dickson said in a statement Wednesday . Chief Critic “I will aggressively defend Arkansas’s law which strongly limits permanent, life-altering sex changes to adolescents,” Rutledge said. Key Background Known as the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, the law prohibits doctors from offering transition-related surgery, hormone therapy or puberty-blocking drugs to any transgender people under the age of 18. The bill’s sponsors argue it’s rooted in a desire to protect children, but LGBTQ advocates, the American Medical Association , the American Academy of Pediatrics and other opponents say gender-affirming healthcare is often medically necessary, and trans children face a risk of depression if they’re cut off from it. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the state two months ago, arguing the law discriminates on the basis of sex, impedes parents’ right to follow medical advice for their children and restricts doctors’ First Amendment rights by banning them from referring minors to providers who offer gender transition treatments. Surprising Fact The law drew controversy from some local Republicans. Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) initially vetoed the bill in April, calling it a “vast government overreach,” but the Republican-controlled state legislature voted to override his veto one day later. Tangent Several Republican-controlled states have restricted transgender residents’ access to public spaces in recent months. States like West Virginia , Montana , Mississippi and Alabama passed laws barring trans students from competing in youth sports teams that align with their gender identity. And Tennessee required businesses to post all-caps warning signs if they allow transgender customers to use public bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity, though a federal judge temporarily blocked the law two weeks ago. Further Reading