The Supreme Court will decide an important LGBTQ+ case this session.
Hoa Kỳ v Skrmetti is about whether state governments can tell families with transgender kids they can’t get their children health care that their doctors recommend, and that will allow them to be healthy, happy young people.
That’s a pretty harmful thing for states to do. Federal courts all over the country have agreed, saying governments can’t make a rule that the same safe effective medical care that is regularly used to help all kinds of kids must be denied only to transgender kids.
That’s discrimination. And what the Supreme Court is going to decide in this case is whether laws like these that deny something to people just because they are transgender go against an important principle in our constitution, that all people should have equal protection under the law.
And in fact the Court has already said something on this question. Just 4 years ago in a 2020 case called Bostock, the Court said that discriminating against someone because they are transgender, or gay or lesbian or bisexual, is discrimination on the basis of sex. Laws that discriminate on the basis of sex are subject to extra scrutiny. That means governments must be able to show a really strong reason why such a law is necessary even though it discriminates against some people. If they can’t show that compelling reason, the law has to go.
The fact is, states haven’t been able show any compelling reason why health care that has been safely used for decades should be denied just to transgender kids. Most federal courts have recognized that is not about health care, it’s about saying trans kids don’t deserve to get care they need like everyone else.
But a handful of higher courts have decided to ignore that important constitutional principle that everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law and say it’s OK to discriminate against some people – in this case transgender people.
So now the Supreme Court is going to weigh in. There’s no reason the Court should say anything different in this case than they said in Bostock in 2020. Making sure people aren’t treated unfairly just because of who they are is key part of what our constitution stands for.
Kentucky Families and Civil Rights Groups Urge Supreme Court to Rule Against Discriminatory and Harmful Transgender Health Bans
In their bản tóm tắt của người bạn tòa án filed today in Hoa Kỳ kiện Skrmetti, Kentucky parents and a wide array of civil rights groups say laws like Tennessee’s and Kentucky’s discriminate against transgender people and harm youth and their families
LOUISVILLE, Ky – Kentucky parents of transgender children and a wide array of civil rights groups have weighed in as the Supreme Court prepares to hear Hoa Kỳ kiện Skrmetti, the challenge to Tennessee’s ban on healthcare for transgender adolescents. The families are plaintiffs in Doe v Thornbury, a challenge to a similar law in Kentucky, and are joined by SAGE, National Trans Bar Association, LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, Mazzoni Center, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF). They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
Bản tóm tắt lập luận rằng lệnh cấm ở Tennessee và Kentucky, giống như các lệnh cấm được thông qua ở các tiểu bang khác, cố tình phân biệt đối xử với thanh thiếu niên chuyển giới bằng cách từ chối cung cấp cho họ các loại thuốc được kê đơn cho thanh thiếu niên khác. Những luật này không cấm các loại thuốc này đối với tất cả trẻ vị thành niên, mà chỉ cấm khi chúng được kê đơn cho trẻ vị thành niên chuyển giới. Hậu quả của sự phân biệt đối xử này là thanh thiếu niên chuyển giới không thể tiếp cận được phương pháp điều trị hiệu quả duy nhất cho những đau khổ nghiêm trọng do chứng rối loạn bản dạng giới gây ra.
“The parents challenging these laws have seen firsthand the positive impact appropriate medical care has had on their children’s wellbeing, and the detrimental health impacts their kids experience without it,” said Corey Shapiro, Legal Director at the ACLU of Kentucky. “Denying these treatments to transgender youth who need them is not only unlawful, it is heartbreaking for parents. We are proud to represent these Kentucky families and will continue to fight for their right to make decisions for their families without government interference.”
“You don’t have to know about transgender health care to know that these bans are not about medicine – they are about discrimination,” said Jennifer Levi, Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “They ban safe, effective and widely available medications only when they are prescribed for transgender adolescents. The discrimination baked into these laws is intentional, clear, and devastating. The Supreme Court in Bostock powerfully affirmed that discriminating against transgender people is sex discrimination. Under that standard, no state can justify denying transgender adolescents essential medical care.”
“Families, not the government, should make decisions about medical care,” said Shannon Minter, Legal Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “These bans target youth whose doctors have determined they need this care and whose parents have made informed decisions about what is best for their own children.”
The overwhelming consensus among medical professionals is that established medical treatments are safe, effective, and necessary to protect transgender adolescents’ wellbeing. Yet, 26 states have passed laws banning essential medical care for transgender youth.
Across the country, federal district courts have held that bans like those in Tennessee and Kentucky single out transgender youth in order to deny them safe, effective, and well-established medical care. In U.S. v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court agreed to review a Sixth Circuit opinion which reversed district court decisions blocking these bans in Tennessee and Kentucky. The U.S. Department of Justice intervened in the Tennessee case, LW v. Skrmetti, and the U.S. Solicitor General will argue against the ban when the Supreme Court hears the case later this year.
“If America is to make good on its promises of freedom without favor and equality without exception, families and their doctors, not politicians, must be able to make health care decisions for transgender youth,” nóiRachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “We urge the Court to protect everyone’s right to live as their true selves, free from discrimination or litmus tests, and to access the medical care they need.”
“Transgender older adults have lived through eras where access to hormone therapy was severely limited or non-existent,” said Aaron Tax, SAGE’s Managing Director of Government Affairs and Policy Advocacy. “Fortunately, today we have evidence-based clinical guidelines that affirm what we now know: hormone therapy is safe, effective, and can be life-saving. Every generation deserves the right to access this vital, gender-affirming care.”
“The National Trans Bar Association endorses the request for the Court to reverse the Sixth Circuit’s decision and make clear that denying individuals medically necessary treatment on the basis of their gender identity violates the Equal Protection Clause,” nóiRafael Langer-Osuna, Co-Chair of the National Trans Bar Association. “The National Trans Bar Association supports the right of all transgender people, regardless of age, to have access to medically necessary gender-affirming care. As transgender and non-binary attorneys and law students, we unequivocally stand with the plaintiffs and with the transgender youth of Tennessee and Kentucky, and condemn these states’ discriminatory attempts to deny their citizens life-saving medical care. We will continue to use our legal training and experience to protect transgender people throughout the U.S. and the world against discriminatory attacks on basic human rights.”
“BALIF unequivocally supports the right for transgender youth to have access to gender-affirming medical care,” said Dustin Helmer, Co-Chair of Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF). “The consequences of denying this right are not only immoral, but often life-threatening. BALIF endorses the request for the Court to reverse the Sixth Circuit’s decision and make it clear that bans on medicinal treatment for transgender adolescents violate the Equal Protection Clause. We abhor Tennessee and Kentucky’s discriminatory attacks on transgender adolescents, and we will continue to fight for policies that uplift and provide safety and dignity for transgender people all over the U.S. and world.”
“Transgender young people and their families need access to medically necessary treatment, and they need the Court to recognize their right to determine, with their doctors, what is best for them without unjustifiable and discriminatory government interference,” said Thomas W. Ude, Jr., Legal and Public Policy Director at Mazzoni Center.
The Kentucky families’ brief is among over 30 friend-of-the-court briefs being filed today. Bioethicists, medical providers, medical historians, family law professors, additional families in states where care has been banned and more are urging the Supreme Court to rule against bans on essential medical care for transgender adolescents so that families can make the health care decisions that are best for their children.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders thông báo Ricardo Martinez sẽ là Giám đốc điều hành mới
Tổng giám đốc điều hành hiện tại của Equality Texas sẽ mang kinh nghiệm lãnh đạo đã được thử thách thực tế đến với một trong những tổ chức kiện tụng LGBTQ+ hàng đầu của quốc gia vào thời điểm quan trọng trong cuộc chiến bảo đảm quyền bảo vệ dân quyền cho những người và gia đình đồng tính và chuyển giới
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) hôm nay đã công bố Ricardo Martinez (anh ấy/anh ấy), Tổng giám đốc điều hành hiện tại của Equality Texas, sẽ là Giám đốc điều hành tiếp theo của tổ chức này kể từ ngày 4 tháng 9 năm 2024.
Với tư cách là Giám đốc điều hành của tổ chức vận động chính trị LGBTQ+ phi đảng phái lớn nhất toàn tiểu bang Texas kể từ năm 2019, Martinez đã đi đầu tại một trong những tiểu bang chiến trường quan trọng trong làn sóng luật chống LGBTQ+ toàn quốc hiện nay. Dưới sự lãnh đạo của ông, Equality Texas đã dẫn đầu các nỗ lực vận động để bác bỏ 96% trong số hơn 140 dự luật chống LGBTQ+ được đệ trình trong kỳ họp lập pháp tiểu bang năm 2023 và 99% trong số 76 dự luật chống LGBTQ+ được đệ trình vào năm 2021.
“Sau cuộc tìm kiếm toàn quốc mạnh mẽ hợp tác với Koya Partners, Hội đồng quản trị của GLAD tự hào thông báo Ricardo Martinez là Giám đốc điều hành tiếp theo của tổ chức,” Chủ tịch Hội đồng quản trị GLAD Shane Dunn cho biết. “Những thành tựu của Ricardo tại Equality Texas trong bối cảnh chính trị đầy biến động cho thấy sức mạnh lãnh đạo và tầm nhìn của ông. Ông đã thể hiện cam kết khuếch đại tiếng nói của các cộng đồng yếu thế, đồng thời sẵn sàng tham gia trực tiếp vào các hoạt động tổ chức ở cấp cơ sở và cấp cao.
“GLAD đang tiếp tục củng cố cam kết của chúng tôi trong việc thách thức các luật chống LGBTQ+ đang nổi lên trên khắp đất nước, bảo vệ và mở rộng các quyền và tiến bộ mà chúng tôi đã đạt được trong nửa thế kỷ qua, đồng thời ủng hộ những thay đổi tích cực về chính sách và pháp luật. Chúng tôi vô cùng hào hứng khi Ricardo gia nhập GLAD vào thời điểm này, để mang tầm nhìn và kinh nghiệm thực tiễn của mình vào những cuộc đấu tranh khốc liệt nhất cho quyền bình đẳng LGBTQ mà chúng tôi từng chứng kiến. GLAD xin gửi lời ngưỡng mộ và trân trọng sâu sắc nhất đến toàn thể đội ngũ Equality Texas và những nỗ lực không ngừng nghỉ của họ trong phong trào công lý hợp tác của chúng tôi.” Dunn nói thêm. “Ricardo sẽ là một nhà lãnh đạo mang tính chuyển đổi trong giai đoạn then chốt của sự phát triển tổ chức tại GLAD và tại thời điểm quan trọng đối với quyền công dân của cộng đồng LGBTQ+ và các gia đình trên khắp đất nước. Tôi cũng muốn cảm ơn Richard Burns, Giám đốc Điều hành Tạm thời của GLAD từ tháng 10 và là một nhà lãnh đạo lâu năm của phong trào, vì sự lãnh đạo và hỗ trợ của ông trong quá trình chúng tôi chuẩn bị cho giai đoạn tiếp theo này.”
Ricardo Martinez
“Tôi rất vinh dự được dẫn dắt đội ngũ xuất sắc và tận tụy của Equality Texas trong 5 năm qua, để xây dựng mối quan hệ gắn kết sâu sắc với cộng đồng Texas và đấu tranh chống lại hàng trăm dự luật thù địch chống LGBTQ+. Kinh nghiệm đó cũng giúp tôi hiểu sâu sắc tác động của luật đối với cộng đồng LGBTQ+ và gia đình chúng tôi, đồng thời nhận thức sâu sắc rằng việc vận động lập pháp và kiện tụng phải song hành để đạt được công lý và bảo vệ quyền của chúng tôi.” Martinez cho biết. “Mặc dù rất khó để rời xa những con người và công việc tôi yêu thích ở Texas, nhưng tôi rất phấn khởi khi được gia nhập một tổ chức luôn đi đầu trong việc thúc đẩy và bảo vệ quyền công dân của cộng đồng LGBTQ và người nhiễm HIV trong gần nửa thế kỷ qua. Hoạt động vận động pháp lý chiến lược của GLAD đã mang lại những tác động tích cực cho cộng đồng LGBTQ+ trên khắp đất nước trong nhiều thập kỷ, bao gồm cả tôi, và tôi tự hào có cơ hội dẫn dắt và hỗ trợ công việc của một đội ngũ đầy cảm hứng như vậy vào thời điểm này, khi việc bảo vệ quyền công dân của cộng đồng LGBTQ+ tại tòa án đang cấp thiết hơn bao giờ hết.”
Trong nhiệm kỳ của Martinez tại Equality Texas, ông đã tăng cường đáng kể năng lực nhân viên và hỗ trợ tài chính để ứng phó với tình hình hiện tại, đồng thời tăng cường vận động chính sách cho và cùng với các cộng đồng trên toàn tiểu bang. Dưới sự lãnh đạo của ông, Equality Texas đã phát triển mạng lưới 300 tổ chức và đồng minh phục vụ cộng đồng LGBTQ, ra mắt Quỹ Khủng hoảng Queer Texas để cung cấp cứu trợ khẩn cấp cho các cộng đồng bị ảnh hưởng nặng nề bởi COVID-19, và hợp tác với Nhà Trắng để lên lịch các buổi khám bệnh lưu động trên toàn tiểu bang, đồng thời cung cấp thông tin và tiếp cận vắc-xin trong thời kỳ đỉnh điểm của dịch MPOX.
“Ricardo giúp Equality Texas và Equality Foundation mạnh mẽ hơn, và nhờ sự lãnh đạo của ông, chúng tôi có vị thế tốt hơn bao giờ hết để dẫn đầu cuộc chiến đấu vì bình đẳng cho cộng đồng LGBTQIA+ Texas”, ông nói. Kevin Haynes, Chủ tịch Hội đồng quản trị Equality Texas và Brad Nitschke, Chủ tịch Hội đồng quản trị Equality Texas Foundation. Xin hãy cùng chúng tôi chúc Ricardo mọi điều tốt đẹp nhất trong những nỗ lực tương lai và cảm ơn anh vì những đóng góp và sự lãnh đạo vô giá của mình. Mặc dù tất cả chúng ta sẽ rất nhớ Ricardo, chúng tôi rất vui mừng vì động thái này sẽ giúp củng cố mối quan hệ với GLAD, và chúng tôi mong đợi một tương lai tốt đẹp cùng nhau.”
“Trong thời điểm mà cộng đồng LGBTQ đang đấu tranh cho cuộc sống của mình, chúng ta cần những nhà lãnh đạo như Ricardo, những người năng động và kiên định với niềm tin của mình hơn bao giờ hết,” Imani Rupert-Gordon, Chủ tịch Trung tâm Quốc gia về Quyền của Người đồng tính nữ cho biết. “Ricardo có hiểu biết sâu sắc về những gì cần có để giành chiến thắng, và tôi tin rằng anh ấy sẽ lãnh đạo GLAD theo cách phù hợp với thời điểm hiện tại và có ảnh hưởng trong việc xây dựng một phong trào mạnh mẽ hơn cho tương lai.”
Ngoài việc lãnh đạo Equality Texas, Martinez còn đóng góp vào sự phát triển và tác động của các tổ chức bao gồm PENCIL, Summer Search, GLSEN và Stand for Children, đồng thời có thành tích đã được chứng minh trong việc thu hút những người ủng hộ để thúc đẩy hoạt động bảo vệ quyền LGBTQ+ quan trọng cần thiết vào lúc này.
Là người nhập cư thế hệ đầu tiên cùng gia đình chuyển từ Thành phố Mexico đến New York khi còn nhỏ, Martinez sẽ là lãnh đạo gốc Latinh đầu tiên của GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. Việc gia nhập GLAD sẽ giúp anh gần gũi hơn với gia đình và quê hương Brooklyn khi chuyển đến New England. Martinez tốt nghiệp Đại học Stony Brook và có bằng thạc sĩ quản lý phi lợi nhuận của Trường Chính sách Công, Quản lý và Môi trường Mới (The New School for Public Policy, Management, and Environment). Anh đã được Chính quyền Obama công nhận là một Nhà lãnh đạo LGBTQ mới nổi và nhận giải thưởng 40 Under 40 của Đại học Stony Brook cho các hoạt động công vụ và hoạt động xã hội.
GLAD đã được hưởng lợi rất nhiều từ sự lãnh đạo của Giám đốc Điều hành Tạm quyền Richard Burns sau khi cựu Giám đốc Điều hành Janson Wu chuyển đến Dự án Trevor vào tháng 10 năm ngoái. Burns sẽ tiếp tục vai trò tạm quyền của mình trong quá trình chuyển giao của Martinez vào tháng 9.
Giới thiệu về Luật sư và Người bảo vệ GLBTQ
Được thành lập tại Boston vào năm 1978, GLAD đi đầu trong các vụ kiện tụng dân quyền và vận động cho cộng đồng LGBTQ+ và người nhiễm HIV trên khắp New England và trên toàn quốc. GLAD đã dẫn đầu phong trào bình đẳng hôn nhân hợp pháp, giành chiến thắng đầu tiên tại tòa án tiểu bang với vụ kiện mang tính bước ngoặt tại Massachusetts. Goodridge kiện Bộ Y tế Công cộng phán quyết 20 năm trước và tranh luận trước Tòa án Tối cao Hoa Kỳ để đảm bảo quyền bình đẳng hôn nhân trên toàn quốc với Obergefell quyết định năm 2015.
GLAD đã khởi động Dự án Quyền của Người chuyển giới đầu tiên tại một tổ chức pháp lý LGBTQ+ vào năm 2008, đảm bảo các phán quyết quan trọng của tòa án sớm thiết lập quyền của sinh viên chuyển giới và khẳng định các biện pháp bảo vệ chống phân biệt đối xử với người chuyển giới theo luật phân biệt đối xử giới tính, và vẫn là đơn vị tiên phong trong việc ủng hộ quyền của người chuyển giới.
Năm 1998, GLAD đã bảo đảm được phán quyết của Tòa án Tối cao khẳng định rằng những người nhiễm HIV được bảo vệ khỏi sự phân biệt đối xử theo Đạo luật Người khuyết tật Hoa Kỳ.
GLAD gần đây đã chào đón thêm bốn luật sư vào đội ngũ pháp lý của mình để mở rộng năng lực đáp ứng tình hình hiện tại và bảo vệ cũng như thúc đẩy các quyền hợp pháp của cộng đồng LGBTQ+ về lâu dài.
Các vụ kiện tụng và hồ sơ lập pháp hiện tại của GLAD bao gồm việc thách thức các luật tiểu bang nguy hiểm cấm tiếp cận dịch vụ chăm sóc y tế đã được thiết lập cho thanh thiếu niên chuyển giới; chống lại các cuộc tấn công có động cơ chính trị vào các trường công lập và đảm bảo học sinh LGBTQ+ có thể nhận được nền giáo dục bình đẳng; thúc đẩy an ninh pháp lý cho các gia đình LGBTQ+ và con cái của họ thông qua luật nuôi dạy con cái được cập nhật của tiểu bang; bảo vệ quyền của người lao động chuyển giới bao gồm quyền tiếp cận bình đẳng với bảo hiểm chăm sóc sức khỏe; bảo vệ và mở rộng quyền tiếp cận PrEP để giải quyết sự chênh lệch về chủng tộc trong việc tiếp cận và chấm dứt đại dịch HIV; và bảo vệ mạnh mẽ quyền tự do kết hôn.
Giới thiệu về Equality Texas
Trong gần 50 năm qua, Equality Texas đã đi đầu trong cuộc đấu tranh vì bình đẳng LGBTQIA+ tại Texas. Trong những năm gần đây, Equality Texas đã kiên trì đấu tranh chống lại hơn 200 dự luật chống LGBTQIA+. Bên cạnh việc vận động tại Cơ quan Lập pháp Texas, Equality Texas còn nỗ lực kết nối cộng đồng với các nguồn lực, giáo dục công chúng về các vấn đề LGBTQIA+ và đào tạo các nhà lãnh đạo cho thế hệ tương lai.
This Disability Pride Month, we’re highlighting incredible LGBTQ+ disability justice advocates and organizations fighting to affirm and protect the rights of people with disabilities.
Aubrey Smalls
Aubrey Smalls (he/him) is a Black queer disability advocate and filmmaker with dwarfism. He uses his platform to advocate for the dwarfism community with a focus on education, including running an account dedicated to dwarfism history, spreading information about both historical oppression of and violence toward little people, and uplifting positive figures and moments for people with dwarfism. Smalls is also producing and directing a documentary comedy film about dwarfism, the effects of disability hate groups, and finding your freedom. Smalls has dedicated his creative work to uplifting the stories of people with dwarfism, both in the past and the present.
Jen Deerinwater
Jen Deerinwater (hir) is a bisexual, Two-Spirit, multiply disabled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who is a prolific journalist and organizer. Hir studies center politics and government, which inform hir masses of writing on disability rights, along with reproductive rights and climate action. Hir indigenous identity has also influenced all Jen does. Jen founded the nonprofit Crushing Colonialism as a method to uplift indigenous voices, stories, and artists and is on the board Jen is also on the board for the Disabled Journalist Association and is a Senior Advisor for the Disability Culture Lab, along with serving on the Ending the HIV Epidemic among Urban Natives Community Advisory Board.
Olu Niyi-Awosusi
Olu Niyi-Awosusi (they/them) is a Black nonbinary disability activist who described themself as an ethical technologist. They advocate for and help work toward an online world that is useful and inclusive to people with disabilities and people with limited technological access. They work as a front-end web developer while writing and giving talks about how to create a more equitable and accessible “woke web.” They cite their time studying philosophy as what got them interested in tech ethics. In addition to tech focused work, they also founded a mutual aid group to help provide gender-affirming clothing to the LGBTQ+ community in the UK.
Karin Hitselberger
Karin Hitselberger (she/her) is a plus-sized asexual disability advocate, blogger, and consultant. She has a history of work with nonprofits with a specialty in crisis counseling and support for the needs of vulnerable populations. Hitselberger’s blog and other writing focus on disability and how it intersects with body image and pop culture. She believes that writing and voicing her experience as a disabled fat woman is important because it can remind us that we are never alone in our experiences to read about the lives of others.
Syrus Marcus Ware
Syrus Marcus Ware (he/him) is a Black transgender disability and abolitionist artist, activist, and scholar. His artistic work includes painting, installations, performance art, and curatorial practice. Ware’s solo and collaborative works have explored social justice and Black activist culture since 2013. Ware is a core team member of Black Lives Matter and an assistant professor at McMaster University teaching classes on disability performance.
Drag Syndrome
Drag Syndrome is a drag collective including both drag kings and queens with Down Syndrome. Founded in 2019, Drag Syndrome provides a space and funds for artists with Down Syndrome to explore their craft and use drag to mold their own persona and performance art. Daniel Vais, the founder of Drag Syndrome, has discussed how the collective allows performers to be celebrated for their skill, craft, and creativity, he expressed that “[Drag Syndrome] allows them to show their talents. Yes, these are artists who have Down syndrome, but that’s not the main issue…the extra chromosome is only a bonus.”
Transgender, Reproductive, and Fertility Care: The Fight for Health Care Equality and Bodily Autonomy
GLAD has been on the forefront of safeguarding bodily autonomy for decades – and that is critical in this legislative session for transgender people, people who can get pregnant, and LGBTQ+ people who need fertility care. Health care equity work also aims to address the barriers to safe, quality medical care disproportionately affects people of color and low-income individuals as well. These disparities underscore the urgent need to address systemic inequalities and ensure that everyone has equal access to essential health care services.
In the face of escalating threats to transgender health care, GLAD remains vigilant in its defense of trans people’s rights to safe, essential care. Across legal battles in multiple states, GLAD is at the forefront, challenging discriminatory laws and advocating for the rights of transgender youth and adults alike. In Florida federal court, our attorney Jennifer Levi argued at a hearing in December to protect access to transgender people in Doe kiện Ladapo, and in June the court ruled to permanently block that unconstitutional law. In Boe kiện Marshall, GLAD is supporting transgender youth and their families in need of essential care after the court allowed a health care ban to take effect in January. And GLAD has also submitted opposition briefs against similar laws in Tennessee and Kentucky in LW v. Skrmetti Và Doe kiện Thornbury at the 6th Circuit Appellate Court (which will be heard at the Supreme Court later this year), and others in Oklahoma. Our opposition is committed, strategic, and well-funded, but we rely on our decades-long experience, which has won the day.
In the legislative arena, we are advocating for shield bills designed to protect trans and other vital health care access amidst mounting attacks. We’ve advocated successfully for these crucial bills in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Và Vermont in previous sessions, and most recently in Maine Và Đảo Rhode. There are currently laws or executive orders protecting care providers in 14 states and Washington, DC. While these bills shield providers and the patients’ families against prosecution for care legal in these states, hostile outside forces like Libs of TikTok have been spreading misinformation and fear to slow the passage of these vital protections.
Health care access struggles are interconnected. States had been chipping away at abortion access years before the Dobbsdecision which overturned Roe v. Wade, but after the ruling, access fell precipitously. And this crucial care is still being brought in front of our higher courts – the Supreme Court Justices heard oral arguments in March, when a team of anti-abortion medical providers called into question the FDA-approved medication mifepristone, which is used to administer abortions for over 60 percent of US patients. In June, the Justices threw out the lawsuit without ruling on the merits of the case, ensuring continued access to the drug.
And earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court delivered a shocking ruling that declared embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) should be considered children. Alabama fertility clinics shut down IVF services for weeks, and sowed concern for people across the country who want to build their family with this treatment. The need to protect access and providers is starkly clear.
Access to safe, patient-centered care is a fundamental right that we must fight for every day. By advocating for the autonomy of patients and care providers in medical decision-making, GLAD is dedicated to ensuring people can access the care they need. Whether it’s affirming gender identity, seeking abortion care, or pursuing assisted reproduction, GLAD stands as a steadfast ally in the fight for health care access and bodily autonomy.
Dedicated commitment to health care equity and patient rights is more than just about a single appointment or procedure – it’s about safeguarding the well-being and dignity of all. As threats to health care access persist, we are resolute in advocating for comprehensive protections that uphold the principle of bodily autonomy for everyone.
A version of this story was originally published in the Summer 2024 GLAD Briefs newsletter. Read more.
Cập nhật: On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a shameful ruling that homeless people are not included in the Constitution’s protections against cruel and unusual punishment. This ruling will make homelessness drastically worse and impact the 250,000+ people who sleep outside each night, as well as millions of Americans who are just one missed paycheck away from homelessness.
Over 600,000 people experience homelessness in America, and nearly half of them sleep outside. Safe and affordable housing, not carceral measures like jails, fines, or forced treatment, will solve homelessness.
GLAD and 45 other organizations committed to ending discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community submitted an amicus (friend of the court) brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, a case concerning the criminalization of homelessness. The organizations argue that local ordinances that punish people for sleeping in public areas when shelter beds are unavailable violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and have a disproportionate impact on LGBTQI+ people, who already experience elevated rates of homelessness due to discrimination and marginalization.
The Supreme Court heard the case on April 22, 2024. The Court will issue a decision by June 30, 2024.
The amicus brief was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights and was signed by the following organizations:
Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, San Francisco, Cal.
Black & Pink National, Omaha, Neb.
Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Black Trans Nation, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Center for Community Alternatives, Syracuse, N.Y.
The Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, NY.
DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, Washington, D.C.
Desiree Alliance, Calabasas, Cal.
Drug Policy Alliance, New York, N.Y.
Equality Federation, Portland, Or.
Equality New York, New York, N.Y.
Fountain House, New York, N.Y.
Free to Be Youth Project, New York, N.Y.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, Boston, Mass.
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing
LGBTQ+ Equality, Washington, D.C.
Harvard LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, Cambridge, Mass.
Housing Works, Inc., New York, N.Y.
Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Washington, D.C.
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, Oakland, Cal.
LGBT Bar of New York, New York, N.Y.
Make the Road New York, Brooklyn, N.Y.
National Center for LGBTQ Rights, San Francisco, Cal.
National Center for Transgender Equality, Washington, D.C.
National Trans Bar Association, San Francisco, Cal.
National Women’s Law Center, Washington, D.C.
New York County Defender Services, New York, N.Y.
New York Legal Assistance Group, New York, N.Y.
New York Transgender Advocacy Group, New York, N.Y.
Phoenix Transition Program, Atlanta, Ga.
Rainbow Health Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
Rights Behind Bars, Washington, D.C.
Ruth Ellis Center, Highland Park, Mich.
SAGE, New York, N.Y.
Sakhi for South Asian Women, New York, N.Y.
Sylvia Rivera Law Project, New York, N.Y.
Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association, San Diego, Cal.
Trans Pride Initiative, Dallas, Tex.
Trans Sistas of Color Project, Detroit, Mich.
Trans(forming), Atlanta, Ga.
Transgender Assistance Program of Virginia, Virginia Beach, Va.
Transgender Law Center, Oakland, Cal.
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, New York, N.Y.
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.
The Need to Protect Access to Health Care Grows More Urgent
As part of the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ state legislation, 24 states have passed transgender health care bans. As GLAD and others challenge these bans in court, shielding access to care in non-ban states and protecting the providers who deliver it is becoming more urgent.
Health care professionals who provide care for transgender children and adolescents follow well-established standards that have been developed through decades of clinical study. It is age- and developmentally appropriate treatment requiring informed consent of the young person’s parents and informed assent by the patient, and involves in-depth screening by a multidisciplinary care team.
Every major U.S. professional medical association, representing 1.3 million doctors, recognizes this as safe, best practice, and the only proven effective care for transgender adolescents and teenagers suffering from gender dysphoria.
Parents have testified in statehouses and courthouses around the country about how receiving the doctor-recommended care their children need has enabled their young people to live happier, healthier lives – and about their distress over the harmful impact of taking that care away.
Despite all of this, as of March 2024, 24 states have passed laws banning standard-of-care medical treatment for transgender adolescents. 36% of transgender youth aged 13-17 now live in states where the doctor-recommended health care they need has been made illegal. At least two states – Florida and Ohio – have made moves to restrict how transgender adults can access health care as well.
These bans have been pushed by politicians, not doctors or parents. They do not make health care safer for anyone. They do nothing to support parents as they navigate the best options to aid their children’s physical and mental wellbeing. These are blanket bans that take away parents’ ability to make important decisions about their kids’ health care and deny transgender adolescents treatment that has helped them thrive.
GLAD is directly challenging two of these bans in federal court – in Alabama Và Florida – and supporting our partner legal organizations in several other states. When judges have heard the full facts – heard testimony from medical experts, parents, and transgender people – they have ruled against these bans. But as states have pursued appeals into appellate courts that are receptive to backtracking on a range of civil rights protections, including for transgender people, we are starting to see the impact of some of these laws taking effect.
GLAD Attorneys Jennifer Levi and Chris Erchull, and the rest of the legal team from Southern Legal Counsel, Inc., the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights representing Florida transgender people and families at Doe kiện Ladapo trial in December
The cost to families
Imagine being a parent whose child needs medical care that has been shown to work, is covered by health insurance, and is the widely accepted standard of care. And imagine there is suddenly nowhere in your home state you can get them that care, because some politicians have decided they don’t like it. For many families, the only answer is to travel or in some cases move.
As a recent report from Campaign for Southern Equality shows, there are huge costs to these options. Families across the South and Midwest where these bans have taken effect may now need to spend up to 18 hours driving, or pay for airfare and hundreds of dollars in related travel costs, in addition to time off work and school, to make one health care appointment for their child. That’s in addition to costs associated with starting at a new health care practice, and the time it may take to find and secure an appointment. Moving incurs its own costs of course, and means uprooting your and your children’s lives – something most families would rather not do, and shouldn’t have to simply to ensure their child can get health care.
Diminishing access to care
Imagine being a healthcare provider, talking with a family, knowing there is treatment that can help their child – treatment you are trained to provide – and being powerless to help. Providers are wrestling with this every day in states with active bans, where hospitals and practice groups have been forced to shut down care, clinics have closed, and some pharmacies have stopped filling prescriptions.
This is devastating for families and transgender individuals, and the harmful impacts are not limited to states where care has been completely banned. Increased demand in states where care remains available leads to longer wait times, and uncertainty about the reach of bans is also causing a chilling effect for providers and health care institutions. In Florida, where GLAD is challenging restrictions that prohibit well-qualified nurse practitioners from delivering transgender health care for adults but ostensibly allow doctors to continue to do so, one clinic director told the Washington Post recently that he has been unable to hire physicians, because the new law “made most doctors too nervous to commit.”
Some states with bans are also attempting to track the health care residents receive elsewhere. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, for instance, has sought the medical records of Texas transgender youth who received care from a Seattle hospital. Such efforts are clearly aimed at intimidating families seeking care for their children, as well as the providers who serve them.
The good news is that 13 states and DC have now passed laws to shield providers of transgender health care – as well as reproductive health care which is under attack by the same political forces – from the hostile reach of harmful bans. Another 3 states have Executive Orders protecting care, and 6 states have protections for reproductive health care alone.
GLAD has worked alongside providers and state LGBTQ+ community and reproductive equity advocates to pass such laws in Massachusetts and Vermont, including working this session on bills in Rhode Island and Maine.
While the specifics may vary, shield bills are carefully drafted to align with constitutional requirements, federal law, and a given state’s statutory structure. They do several important things to protect access to care:
They establish that essential reproductive health care and medical care for transgender people are legally protected in the state.
They ensure a state’s resources are not used to further hostile litigation from other states where essential care is banned.
They protect patients from having their medical records about protected health care shared with law enforcement agencies in other states where such care is banned.
They may protect the personal contact information of health care providers – something that can be an important protection as medical care providers have been increasingly personally targeted with harassment and threats.
They may also ensure that insurance plans and health care institutions don’t penalize providers simply for providing medical care that is legal in their state.
These protections are growing more urgent, not only because the number of states banning essential health care is increasing, but because those bans and the disinformation being circulated to support them are designed to have a chilling effect on health care providers and institutions everywhere. At the same time, the tactics being employed by opponents are becoming more and more concerning.
Opponents of the Maine shield bill, LD 227, many of them from outside Maine and spurred on by the anti-LGBTQ extremist group Libs of TikTok, used a campaign of intimidation and disinformation about transgender people to try and stop the bill from moving forward. Bomb threats were called into the state house and the homes of the bill sponsors during the week of the committee hearing. Attorneys General from 16 states with transgender health care bans, led by Tennessee, wrote a letter threatening legal action if Maine passed a law protecting health care within its own borders.
GLAD partnered with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Maine health care associations and providers, and many other organizations and individuals to provide accurate information to legislators and counter the false and at times cruel rhetoric being used against the bill. Maine’s Attorney General responded that the state has every legal authority “to decide what access to health care people in Maine receive, free from interference by out-of-state actors.” In the end, a majority of Maine legislators saw through the fear and falsehoods. LD 227 passed on April 12 and was signed into law by Governor Mills on April 22.
If we want access to quality, science-based health care and the ability for each of us – not the government – to make personal medical decisions for ourselves and our families, we have to protect it – in the courts, in our legislatures, and by making sure providers can practice the medicine they are trained to deliver without hostile, politically-driven interference.
This story was originally published in the Summer 2024 GLAD Briefs newsletter. Read more.
Michigan Acts to Protect LGBTQ+ Families With Updated Parentage Law
On April 1, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Đạo luật Bảo vệ Gia đình Michigan, a law that will ensure that children born through assisted reproduction and to LGBTQ+ parents have equal access to a secure legal relationship with their parents and the essential rights that accompany it.
Governor Whitmer signs Michigan Family Protection Act
A patchwork of outdated laws across the country continues to leave LGBTQ+ parents and their children, and all families formed through assisted reproduction, vulnerable. Updating those laws to include LGBTQ+ families is a GLAD priority. With bills similar to the Michigan Family Protection Act pending in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, we hope Michigan will be an inspiration for other states to follow.
GLAD’s Director of Family Advocacy, Polly Crozier, worked closely with grassroots local advocates at the Michigan Fertility Alliance as well as attorney Courtney Joslin, who is Reporter for the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) of 2017, to advance the Michigan Family Protection Act. The UPA is nonpartisan model legislation that ensures state parentage laws are constitutional, child-centered, and inclusive of all families no matter the gender or marital status of the parents or how the family is formed. Michigan is the first state in the Midwest and the 7th state in the country following Maine, Washington, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Colorado to comprehensively update its parentage laws to protect LGBTQ+ families based on the UPA 2017.
“Michigan has shown us what strengthening families should look like in 2024: making it more accessible for all families, including LGBTQ+ families, to obtain the safety and stability that comes with legal parentage,” says Crozier.
Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. are raising children under the age of 18, many of them in states that still have outdated laws. This means that far too many children in LGBTQ+ families are potentially at risk, and that LGBTQ+ parents must navigate costly, time-intensive, and invasive legal obstacles to protect their families.
Outdated parentage laws can mean children don’t have their parents when they need them most, like during a medical crisis, or can lead to a parent without legal security under their state’s law losing their connection to their child in circumstances such as the death of a legal parent or the end of the parents’ relationship.
Michigan’s new law also comes in the wake of aggressive efforts around the country to restrict Americans’ ability to make personal decisions about whether, when, and how to build their families, as well as efforts to undermine equal rights for LGBTQ+ people and families.
Governor Whitmer and Director of Family Advocacy Polly Crozier
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion, efforts have escalated to restrict not only abortion but contraception and access to family building like IVF. Earlier this year an unprecedented Alabama Supreme Court ruling effectively shut down IVF access in that state before lawmakers rushed in with a partial and problematic fix.
The national outcry in response to the Alabama ruling made it clear that IVF and other forms of fertility treatment and assisted reproduction are important family building options for many people. Yet even in many states with strong protections for reproductive freedom – like Massachusetts where the Đạo luật về quyền làm cha mẹ của Massachusetts is pending – children born through assisted reproduction still lack vital protections.
“In many states, parentage laws are decades out of date and haven’t kept pace with how families are formed,” says Joslin. “Critically, that leaves many children born through assisted reproduction – including IVF and surrogacy – without clear legal ties to their parents. When children lack legal relationships with their parents, they are extremely vulnerable; they may not be entitled to child support or to important government protections.”
“Amid efforts to restrict Americans’ reproductive freedom and roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people and their families,” adds Crozier, “the Michigan Family Protection Act is an inspiring example for other states where gaps in parentage laws continue to leave families vulnerable.”
This story was originally published in the Summer 2024 GLAD Briefs newsletter. Read more.
Breaking Barriers in PrEP Access: Challenges and Opportunities
GLAD founded its AIDS Law Project in 1984 at a time when many people died within months of diagnosis. It would have been unfathomable to the hundreds of thousands of young people who died in the first three decades of the HIV epidemic – and to the parents, children, spouses, partners, friends, and caretakers who survived them – that there would one day be a fully effective daily pill that prevents HIV transmission by close to 100 percent. PrEP is just that. Yet less than a third of the people who need PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) are taking it because formidable barriers from insurance practices to stigma to racial inequities remain.
Photo credit: Michael Fleshman
PrEP remains under-utilized, particularly among communities most at risk for HIV transmission. In 2022, the CDC reported that only 13% of Black people and 24% of Latinx people eligible for PrEP received it, compared to 94% of eligible white people. This stark disparity underscores the urgent need for intervention.
GLAD has been fighting impediments to PrEP access and working to pass laws that will expand the avenues for people to receive PrEP, especially new forms of PrEP such as long-acting injectables. Recently, the US Court of Appeals heard arguments in Braidwood kiện Becerra. In this case, a Texas Court struck down a requirement under the Affordable Care Act that insurers cover PrEP without any charge to the patient. GLAD filed a friend-of-court brief in the case, which reminded the Court of the profound suffering and death experienced by so many earlier in the epidemic.
Working with epidemiologists at Yale, we also calculated the increase in HIV infections if the court upholds the elimination of this important ACA provision. We concluded that there would be at least 20,000 additional preventable HIV infections in 5 years at a cost to the healthcare system of 8 billion dollars! This harm will disproportionately impact people of color who have the least access to PrEP now. We hope this critical information about the consequences of its decision will help the Court understand the importance of maintaining the ACA’s protections.
GLAD has also been working to pass state laws to challenge other barriers to PrEP. Prior authorization, an insurance practice requiring delays while patients wait for coverage approval, significantly impedes access to new long-acting injectable forms of PrEP. Injectable PrEP is a crucial option for people who, because of their circumstances, such as homelessness or fear of disclosure, are not able to adhere to a daily pill regimen. Prior authorization requirements create delays and mean people do not follow up for care. Even after the delay, insurance companies frequently deny approval.
GLAD is working with our partners on bills in Rhode Island and Massachusetts that would prohibit insurers from imposing prior authorization or cost sharing for any HIV prevention medication. The legislation has passed the Senate in Rhode Island. If signed into law, it would be the first of its kind and could build momentum for similar initiatives in other states. Previous victories, such as ensuring PrEP access for eligible minors in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and enabling pharmacy access without an initial doctor’s prescription in Maine and Rhode Island, demonstrate how far we have come in breaking down barriers.
We have the medical tools to end the epidemic. But now we need the laws and policies that will make access to PrEP a reality for all.
This story was originally published in the Summer 2024 GLAD Briefs newsletter. Read more.
Meeting People Where They’re At – But Not Leaving Them There
In today’s fragmented world, where many interactions occur online, engaging in meaningful conversations with people with different viewpoints can seem like an uphill battle. Yet, when it comes to issues impacting LGBTQ+ people, these conversations can have a powerful impact. Addressing misunderstandings and discussing issues impacting LGBTQ+ people and our lives can help slow the spread of misinformation, build understanding, and lessen support for harmful legislation.
Plaintiffs and community celebration at the MA State House for the first anniversary of marriage equality.
We’ve seen the power of this throughout our movement. We are celebrating 20 years of marriage equality in Massachusetts this year, but the fact is marriage wasn’t settled after GLAD’s landmark Goodridgecourt victory in November 2003, or even on the day couples finally began to marry on May 17, 2004. It took another three years to build support and defend the freedom to marry in Massachusetts from the threat of a constitutional amendment and another decade to win marriage nationally. And by the time the Supreme Court decided Obergefellin 2015 there was a super-majority of support for marriage equality across the country. That happened, in part, because our community launched a movement that centered our stories—of love, commitment, family, community, and what marriage meant to us. We talked to lawmakers, community groups, clergy, business leaders, friends, and family. People listened and learned and were moved to join the cause.
GLAD staff and board celebrating the success of the Yes on 3 campaign
A similar story played out when, in 2018, opponents attempted to repeal the Massachusetts transgender nondiscrimination law on the ballot. With the Yes on 3 campaign, transgender people told their stories, sharing the joys and challenges of their lives with friends, family, lawmakers, the media, and on the doorsteps of their neighbors and even total strangers. Again, people listened, learned, and joined us. We organized and won the support of city and town councils around the commonwealth and editorial support from major media outlets. On Election Night, Yes On 3 prevailed with a whopping 67.8 percent of the vote, making Massachusetts the first state in the US to uphold protections for trans and nonbinary people by popular vote.
Our personal stories, and those of young trans people in our lives, can help humanize complex issues and foster empathy. Today, when we are facing legislation and local initiatives targeting transgender youth around the country, one-on-one conversations with people in your life can be a powerful place to start to shift misunderstanding. Many people may not know a trans person or know that they do. With so much debate in the media and online, you may find yourself in a conversation with someone you care about who has questions or needs the facts. Our loved ones might not know the best way to talk about these things, but if they feel heard, there’s a great opportunity to build connection and understanding.
Addressing misinformation requires patience, empathy, and a commitment to factual discussions. By emphasizing shared values and finding common ground, we can build understanding even in the face of disagreement. Last year, during the holiday season, Senior Director of Civil Rights and Legal Strategies Mary Bonauto and GLAD’s Public Education department teamed up to create resources for our community on how to talk with people unfamiliar with what it means to be transgender and the harms transgender young people are facing.
Tips for speaking across difference
Give people space to ask questions and help them feel heard.
Start from a place of shared values:
We all want what’s best for children, and families should have access to the best available information to support their kids, including when it comes to medical care.
Equal access to education is fundamental to enable children to grow into healthy, secure adults who can contribute to their communities. All kids deserve to be included and feel like they belong in school life – that includes LGBTQ+ kids
All people are deserving of respect and safety.
It’s ok to not know all the answers – the point is connection and starting a dialogue.
Recognize that creating a safe space for all participants in dialogue is key. With increasing online and offline harassment and doxing, it’s important to trust your gut and take your and others’ level of risk into account. If you feel unsafe or someone is engaging with you in bad faith, you can always disengage.
Navigating conversations like these can be challenging, and it’s essential to approach these discussions with empathy, patience, and a commitment to understanding. While changing someone’s mind may not always be possible, ensuring they feel valued and heard, and sharing your perspective, can further the conversation and get people thinking.
Have you had a conversation with someone who felt differently than you about LGBTQ+ equality? Tell us how it went! Join us on social media to share your experiences and continue the conversation.
This story was originally published in the Summer 2024 GLAD Briefs newsletter. Read more.
Các phán quyết gần đây của Tòa án Tối cao đã đặt ra những câu hỏi cấp bách cho cộng đồng LGBTQ+ và người nhiễm HIV. Đường dây nóng tư vấn pháp lý của chúng tôi, GLAD Law Answers, có thể giúp bạn. Hãy liên hệ ngay hôm nay.
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