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Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Health Care for Transgender Youth—But the Fight for Full Equality is Far From Over
Spring 2025 • Aneesha Pappy She/Her
On June 18, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a devastating ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s ban on affirming healthcare treatments for transgender youth (Senate Bill 1). By deciding that SB1 is constitutional, the Supreme Court has also made it more difficult to challenge similar bans on healthcare in more than 20 states where such laws have already been passed.
The enormity of the harm that these laws cause is sweeping, directly hurting families who want to get their children the care they need to be healthy and thrive. Not only does the ruling enable the removal of access to best-practice, medically necessary healthcare for countless transgender youth, it comes at a moment when LGBTQ+ people — especially transgender people — are being relentlessly targeted by extremist politicians at every level of government.
“The Supreme Court decision is a devastating blow to transgender youth and the families who love them, but it will not break our resolve,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “Families may now have to make the heartbreaking choice to leave their state or split their families, or take on extensive financial burdens in order to ensure that their kids can access medically necessary care.
This court chose to allow politicians to interfere in medical decisions that should be made by doctors, patients, and families — a cruel betrayal of the children who needed them to stand up for justice when it mattered most.
As parents, advocates and community leaders, we know that our fight doesn't end in courtrooms — it lives in our communities, our hearts and our unwavering commitment to each other. Still, we will not be deterred. We will support families forced to make impossible choices, fund legal challenges and build a movement so powerful that no politician can ignore us. Together, we will turn this pain into power and keep fighting until every transgender person in America can live with dignity, safety and the freedom to be who they are.”
While the decision is deeply disappointing, it’s important to remember this ruling does not ban access to gender affirming care nationwide. In nearly half the country, care remains legal—and we will defend it with everything we’ve got. State legislatures remain critical battlegrounds. Every state legislative session matters. This is not the end of the fight, it’s a call to action for governors, lawmakers and advocates to protect access to care and the rights of families.
“In states where it remains legal, we will defend it fiercely. And in states where it’s under attack, we will build the power to win it back — law by law, state by state, story by story. This ruling doesn’t end the fight, it just shifts the battlefield,” said Human Rights Campaign Chief of Staff Jay Brown at a rally with fellow LGBTQ+ partners the day of the ruling. “These kids are our responsibility, all of our responsibility. So, the question isn’t whether we fight. The question is how hard we’re willing to fight… Let’s make our voices heard to lawmakers, to changemakers, to our neighbors, our family, our friends. This court may not care about our kids. Donald Trump may not care about our kids — but we do. We will do everything we can, everywhere we can, and with every tool we can to bring dignity and justice and equality to all our families.”
Kate Oakley, Senior Director of Legal Policy for HRC, also reminded the community after the ruling that while harmful, the ruling issued by the court was fairly narrow. “There are a lot of remaining legal pathways to challenge these laws,” Oakley told the Washington Post. “My heart is broken for these kids who are not going to be able to receive the medical care they need to thrive and be well, but it’s not over by any stretch.”
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