Judge says Trump administration can’t limit passport sex markers for many transgender, nonbinary people

The Associated Press June 21, 2025

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from limiting passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary Americans.

Tuesday’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick means that transgender or nonbinary people who are without a passport or need to apply for a new one can request a male, female or “X” identification marker rather than being limited to the marker that matches the gender assigned at birth.

In an executive order signed in January, the president used a narrow definition of the sexes instead of a broader conception of gender. The order said a person is male or female and rejected the idea that someone can transition from the sex assigned at birth to another gender.

Kobick first issued a preliminary injunction against the policy last month, but that ruling applied only to six people who joined with the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit over the passport policy.

In Tuesday’s ruling she agreed to expand the injunction to include transgender or nonbinary people who are currently without a valid passport, those whose passport is expiring within a year, and those who need to apply for a passport because theirs was lost or stolen or because they need to change their name or sex designation.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The government failed to show that blocking its policy would cause it any constitutional injury, Kobick wrote, or harm the executive branch’s relations with other countries.

The transgender and nonbinary people covered by the preliminary injunction, meanwhile, have shown that the passport policy violates their constitutional rights to equal protection, Kobick said.

“Even assuming a preliminary injunction inflicts some constitutional harm on the Executive Branch, such harm is the consequence of the State Department’s adoption of a Passport Policy that likely violates the constitutional rights of thousands of Americans,” Kobick wrote.

Kobick, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, sided with the ACLU’s motion for a preliminary injunction, which stays the action while the lawsuit plays out.

“The Executive Order and the Passport Policy on their face classify passport applicants on the basis of sex and thus must be reviewed under intermediate judicial scrutiny,” Kobick wrote in the preliminary injunction issued earlier this year. “That standard requires the government to demonstrate that its actions are substantially related to an important governmental interest. The government has failed to meet this standard.”

In its lawsuit, the ACLU described how one woman had her passport returned with a male designation while others are too scared to submit their passports because they fear their applications might be suspended and their passports held by the State Department.

Another mailed in their passport Jan. 9 and requested to change their name and their sex designation from male to female. That person was still waiting for their passport, the ACLU said in the lawsuit, and feared missing a family wedding and a botany conference this year.

In response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration argued that the passport policy change “does not violate the equal protection guarantees of the Constitution.” It also contended that the president has broad discretion in setting passport policy and that plaintiffs would not be harmed since they are still free to travel abroad.

International/ Top Stories

Gay couple killed in Air India crash honoured at Pride event they were due to attend

Pink News, Sophia Perry June 21, 2025

A minute’s silence was held at a Pride event to honour a gay couple who were amongst the more than 240 passengers killed in the Air India crash.

On Thursday (12 June) the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was destined for London Gatwick but crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, plummeting from the air and into a building in the suburb of Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat state.

The couple, Former BBC TV show DanceX contestant Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, 45, and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, were amongst the 53 Britons on the flight when it crashed.

The two men ran a wellness and lifestyle company called The Wellness Foundry and filmed themselves laughing in a post shared on their company’s instagram account just hours before the doomed flight.

At Ramsgate Pride on Saturday (14 June), a minute’s silence was held to honour to couple, who were due to host a wellbeing workshop at the event.

In a video taken at the event, a Pride organiser can be seen explaining the need for the minute’s silence to Ramsgate Pride’s attendees, followed by a moment of pause and then claps and cheers to honour the men.

Speaking to the BBC prior to Ramsgate Pride, Lucy Taylor – assistant manager for Ramsgate Pride – said the couple were “brilliant” and “brought a lot of peace and healing in their spiritual practice to Ramsgate”.

“They were really vibrant people and I will be performing a song dedicated to them,” Taylor added.

Following the couple’s deaths, Ramsgate Pride took to social media to express sorrow from the whole Pride team.

Levi’s releases Pride Collection designed by LGBTQ+ people

Alex Bollinger, LGBTQ Nation June 20, 2025

Levi’s has released its annual Pride Collection along with a promotional video entitled “Meet You in the Park.”

“We’re taught to not take up space, we’re taught to be quiet,” a voiceover says in the ad, which doesn’t explicitly mention LGBTQ+ identities. “But there’s something about being in your body that makes you want to just like be proud and take up that space.”

The collection itself is designed by LGBTQ+ people and includes rainbow colors and triangles, symbols associated with the LGBTQ+ community.

A Levi's Pride cap — A Levi’s Pride cap | Levi’s

A Levi's Pride jacket — A Levi’s Pride jacket | Levi’s

A Levi's Pride T-shirt — A Levi’s Pride T-shirt | Levi’s

“This year, our Pride collection shines a light on togetherness and the importance of safe spaces for all LGBTQIA+ folks,” Levi’s said in a statement, adding that the pieces in the collection “honor efforts by the LGBTQ+ community to reclaim and define for themselves symbols that have had different and, at times, fraught meanings throughout history but that continue to carry profound significance in modern LGBTQ+ communities and advocacy.”

Features/ Top Stories/ Transgender / Transsexual

Children’s hospital caves to Trump, ends care for nearly 3,000 trans patients

Arin Waller, LGBTQ Nation June 20, 2025

On Thursday, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) announced the pausing of its transgender youth healthcare program, citing insurmountable pressure from the Trump administration.

In emails reviewed by The Los Angeles Times, the hospital’s Center for Trans Youth began telling its nearly 3,000 patients’ families about its upcoming closure.

“We’re just disappointed and scared and enraged,” stated Maxine, the mother of a current patient, who declined to give her last name for fear of attacks on her son. “The challenge is how we break news to this kid who has had such a positive experience with everybody at Children’s.”

The emails state there was “no viable alternative” that would allow the hospital to continue specialized care.

“There is no doubt that this is a painful and significant change to our organization and a challenge to CHLA’s mission, vision, and values,” hospital executives wrote to staff in a Thursday morning email. The center will close on July 22, and the emails say the decision “follows a lengthy and thorough assessment of the increasingly severe impacts of federal administrative actions and proposed policies.”

Executives have determined that continuing to operate the center would jeopardize the hospital’s ability to care for its hundreds of thousands of patients, noting the continual attacks by federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, Health and Human Services, Medicare and Medicaid Services who have been issuing numerous threats towards doctors and hospitals providing gender-affirming care for trans youth, including threats of prosecution.

“These threats are no longer theoretical,” the note said. “Taken together, the Attorney General memo, HHS review, and the recent solicitation of tips from the FBI to report hospitals and providers of GAC strongly signal this Administration’s intent to take swift and decisive action, both criminal and civil, against any entity it views as being in violation of the executive order.”

The hospital’s Trans Youth Center is among the oldest and largest programs in the country and the only facility to provide puberty blockers and other gender-affirming care for trans youth on public insurance. But because the hospital is significantly more reliant on public funding than other pediatric medical facilities in California, it is particularly vulnerable to the actions and de-funding threats of the Trump administration. The severity is exacerbated even more when taking in account that 40% of pediatric beds in Los Angeles are at this hospital.

“CHLA has a responsibility to navigate this complex and uncertain regulatory environment in a way that allows us to remain open as much as possible for as many as possible,” executives wrote. “In the end, this painful and difficult decision was driven by the need to safeguard CHLA’s ability to operate amid significant external pressures beyond our control.”

This isn’t the first time this year however, that CHLA has announced that it’ll no longer provide gender-affirming services. On February 4, CHLA declared that it would stop providing hormonal therapy to transgender people under 19 in the wake of President Trump’s executive order threatening to cut funding from hospitals treating trans patients under 19.

This decision was met with protests, as hundreds gathered outside the children’s hospital in East Hollywood. The hospital reversed its decision a few weeks later when a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s Executive order.

After that, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) issued a statement saying the hospital’s cancellation of gender-affirming care violated the state’s Equal Protection laws.

“Let me be clear: California law has not changed, and hospitals and clinics have a legal obligation to provide equal access to healthcare services,” Bonta said.

Bonta has yet to respond to this current attempt to leave thousands of transgender patients without proper healthcare. Activists say this closure sets a dangerous precedent to other hospitals being pressured to cave by the current federal administration.

“CHLA needs to be a leader in this and stand up to the Trump administration, because other hospitals are taking note of what they’re doing,” said Maebe Pudlow, a trans nonbinary activist who helped organize the February protests.

“It feels very conveniently timed when everybody’s focus is on [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids happening in Los Angeles,” the activist went on. “I think it’s despicable.”

International/ News/ Top Stories

Slovakia urged not to stop legal recognition of trans people

Amelia Hansford, Pink News June 20, 2025

Europe’s top human rights commissioner has urged the Slovak Republic to reconsider a bill that would strip legal recognition of trans people from law.

Proposed amendments to Slovakia’s Constitution would allow the central-European country to disregard international human rights laws to preserve its “national identity” and to answer what it calls “fundamental cultural-ethical questions.”

One of the proposed amendments that attempts to answer these questions is a declaration that recognises “only the sex of male and female,” essentially denying that trans, non-binary, or intersex people exist.

Another amendment, if passed, would restrict adoption rights to only allow married heterosexual couples to adopt.

The proposals, tabled in March, would build upon legislation passed in 2023, which essentially made legal gender recognition for transgender people impossible.

Commissioner for Human Rights in Europe, Michael O'Flaherty. — Commissioner for Human Rights in Europe, Michael O’Flaherty. (Getty)

A combination of human rights organisations in Slovakia and across Europe, including the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights and the Public Defender of Rights, have expressed concerns that the amendments could “conflict” with international law.

The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, Michael O’Flaherty, said the law not only risks “denying the realities of trans and intersex people,” but could be used to “justify an act or omission which is in breach of international law.”

He urged parliamentarians to reject the proposed amendments, saying they “undermine” the general human rights protections of all Slovakians and “weaken the human rights of specific groups in society.”

“It is crucial that parliamentarians take such concerns, including as expressed by domestic independent bodies, fully on board and ensure that there is no diminution of rights for any group in society,” he said.

European Pride celebrations see funding shortfalls because of the “Trump effect”

John Russell, LGBTQ Nation June 19, 2025

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the U.S. aren’t just affecting American Pride celebrations this year. Events across Europe are reportedly also feeling the pinch as corporate sponsors pull back their financial support for fear of crossing the president.

According to Context News, organizers in Greece, Bulgaria, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, and other European countries have all seen a marked decrease in corporate sponsorships this year, which they attribute to the “Trump effect.”

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending DEI efforts within the federal government, while also pressuring private sector companies to follow suit. Even before Trump took office for his second term, major American brands like McDonald’s, Walmart, Ford, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, and Lowe’s all announced they would roll back or end their DEI initiatives, likely in response to right-wing pressure.

Corporations have also been reassessing their contributions to Pride celebrations. In April, Gravity Research found that 39 percent of companies surveyed said they planned to reduce Pride-related engagement for 2025. Senior corporate leaders cited fear of potential investigations by the Trump administration over DEI as their top reason for pulling back on Pride marketing. Meanwhile, Pride celebrations across the country, including in major markets like New York and San Francisco, have reported significant budget shortfalls this year. And according to Context, the corporate disinvestment in Pride isn’t limited to the U.S.

“This year has been more difficult than usual as many major businesses have chosen to pull back from Pride,” Benjamin Hansen, chairperson of Copenhagen Pride, told the outlet.

European Pride Business Network chairman Matthais Weber noted that “some companies are becoming more cautious due to political polarization and pressure from the far-right, especially those influenced by U.S. ‘culture wars.’”

“We can certainly speak of a ‘Trump effect’ — as part of a global culture war against minority rights,” Marcel Voges, a board member with Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Pride march, told the outlet. In April, Christopher Street Day organizers said they were 200,000 euros (about $228,660) short of their budgetary goals, while organizers in Cologne and Munich reported similar shortfalls.

In Greece, Athens Pride organizers said sponsorship revenue was down 30 percent this year, while the director of Thessaloniki Pride reported that sponsors have scaled back their contributions, with some asking for “less broad visibility.”

Prague Pride has reported a 15,000 euro sponsorship shortfall compared to last year, and nearly a year after Bulgaria followed in Russia’s footsteps by enacting a law banning LGBTQ+ “propaganda,” funding for Sofia Pride is down 50 percent.

“I’m not just worried, I’m genuinely frightened about what the next four years could mean for smaller Prides like Sofia Pride,” Simeon Vasilev, chairman of the Bulgarian LGBTQ+ group GLAS Foundation, told Context. “Without vocal political backing, I fear we won’t be able to make meaningful progress on issues like marriage equality or trans rights. Worse, we risk losing hard-won ground. This could take us years backward.”

A spokesperson for Munich’s Christopher Street Day celebration noted that the loss of support from corporate sponsors also comes at a time of increased security costs, following attempts by far-right groups to disrupt Pride events in 2024.

But according to Context, some organizers across Europe remain hopeful that they can make up the funding gap caused by Trump’s pressure on corporations before July and August, when many European Pride celebrations take place. In Berlin, Christopher Street Day organizers are seeking donations from supporters to make up for the loss of corporate sponsorship.

As Christopher Street Day Berlin chairman Vogel explained, Pride celebrations are more important than ever. “While right-wing and anti-queer forces gain influence across Europe,” Vogel said, “what is needed is the opposite: a clear sign of solidarity from business, politics, and society.”

National/ News/ Top Stories

Melissa Hortman, assassinated MN lawmaker, was a champion for families and LGBTQ+ rights

Grace Panetta June 19, 2025

Melissa Hortman, a former Minnesota House speaker who championed the passage of ambitious progressive policies in the state, was assassinated early Saturday in what Gov. Tim Walz called “an act of targeted political violence.”

Hortman, 55, who was elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, became the speaker of the state’s House of Representatives in 2019 and, during her first few years, presided over the chamber under a divided government. In 2022, when the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party won full control of the state government, Hortman played a key role in shaping what legislation the chamber would prioritize, working closely with Walz to enact a slew of progressive policies that included major investments in children and families, as well as expanded protections for abortion and gender-affirming care. She left the post in March.

A man posing as a police officer killed Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park in what Walz described at a news conference as an apparent “politically motivated assassination.” DFL state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot by the same gunman at their home in nearby Champlin. Walz said they were out of surgery and was “cautiously optimistic” that they would make a recovery.

“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the greatest of friends,” Walz said. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humour and a sense of service. She was a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota. She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place. She is irreplaceable and will be missed by so many.”

Hours after the attacks, an “extensive manhunt” remained underway for the suspect, who impersonated a law enforcement officer to enter Hortman’s home, Brooklyn Park chief of police Mark Bruley told reporters in a news conference Saturday. The suspect fled on foot, leaving behind his car, where, according to CNN, law enforcement officials found a list containing about 70 names, including abortion providers and advocates, as well as lawmakers.

Here’s a look at Hortman’s legislative history and legacy on key policies:

Abortion:

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in June 2022, Minnesota emerged as a key access point for abortion as other Midwestern states moved to ban the procedure.

“There was a simmering rage that did not stop,” Hortman said after the 2022 election, according to Minnesota Public Radio. “I was hopeful that voters would take that energy and put it on the ballot and vote for Democrats. And thankfully they did.”

In 2023, Hortman led the Minnesota House in passing the PRO Act, legislation that codified the legality of abortion and other forms of reproductive health care in the state. In subsequent bills, the Minnesota legislature eliminated other restrictions on abortion, passed protections for abortion providers, boosted state funding for clinics providing abortion and eliminated funding for anti-abortion counseling centers.

LGBTQ+ rights:

The Minnesota legislature passed a bill banning gay conversion therapy for minors in the state, which Walz signed into law in April 2023. Lawmakers passed additional legislation with protections for gender-affirming care that made Minnesota a “trans refuge state.”

Paid leave:

In a 2024 interview with the Minnesota Reformer, Hortman cited a paid family and medical leave program as “the most rewarding” piece of legislation she passed. The legislature also enacted paid sick leave and paid safe leave for survivors of intimate partner violence, to help them find temporary housing or seek relief in court.

“An average person can take time, whether it’s to take care of somebody who has cancer or to take care of a new baby,” she said. “People shouldn’t have to choose between a job and recovering from illness.”

Child care and education:

Hortman and Walz passed major investments in child care and early childhood education aimed at lowering child poverty and hunger. These included providing free school breakfasts and lunches, expanding the child tax credit and increasing funding for early childhood scholarships, child care provider stabilization funds and child care for low-income families. Lawmakers also enacted a program making tuition at Minnesota’s public colleges free for families earning less than $80,00 a year.

“From the word ‘go,’ you can see that children were top of mind,” Hortman told the Reformer. “Gov. Tim Walz gave a very inspiring state of the state address in 2023. He was very clear that his administration was focused on reducing childhood poverty. The DFL House and the DFL Senate said, ‘Governor, we are right there with you.’”

In 2024, Minnesota lawmakers passed legislation that prohibited banning booksfrom local schools and libraries on the basis of ideological or content objections.

Gun safety and criminal justice:

After the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, Hortman worked across the aisle to negotiate police reforms. In 2023, the Minnesota legislature passed the Restore the Vote Act, which restored voting rights to formerly incarcerated Minnesotans upon completion of their sentences. Hortman was also an advocate for gun violence prevention . In 2023, Walz signed a bill that included gun safety measures like universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders, or “red flag” laws. In 2024, the Minnesota legislature passed a gun safety bill that, among other things, made straw purchases of firearms a felony.

“We clearly have a gun violence problem in this country, and there are things we can do about it, and we did them,” Hortman told the Reformer.

Features/ HIV & AIDS/ Top Stories

FDA approves breakthrough drug that reduces risk of contracting HIV by 96 percent

Ryan Adamczeski, The Advocate June 18, 2025

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a breakthrough medication that reduces the risk of contracting HIV by 96 percent.

Gilead’s Yeztugo, generic name lenacapavir (LEN), has been approved for prevention after highly successful trials in September found that it nearly eliminated the spread of the virus among patients, showing a 96 percent relative risk reduction versus bHIV. The drug had already been approved for treatment of multidrug-resistant HIV.

The drug is meant to be given as an injection by health care workers in clinics every six months. It is currently priced at $14,109 per injection, or $2,352 per month, according to NBC News, making it unclear whether or not it will be covered by insurance.

“The approval of LEN is a much-needed boost for HIV prevention, given the strength of the science and the simultaneous disruption in HIV programs globally,” Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, said in a statement. “But US FDA approval is just one in a series of steps needed to ensure that injectable LEN can help reduce the 1.3 million new HIV infections that occur each year.”

“LEN for PrEP is poised to re-shape the HIV response, but only if today’s approval is accompanied by bold, strategic, effective and equitable rollout that reaches the populations that need access,” Warren continued. “Otherwise, the world risks squandering this PrEP opportunity, as it has with other PrEP options too often over the past 12 years.” PrEP is pre-exposure prophylaxis, a strategy using drugs to prevent HIV-negative people from contracting the virus during sex.

Lenacapavir’s trials, known as Purpose 1 and Purpose 2, examined the frequency at which patients contracted HIV without the use of PrEP. Purpose 1 took place in June and measured the effectiveness of lenacapavir among cisgender women in sub-Saharan Africa.

Purpose 2 included cisgender and transgender men, trans women, and nonbinary individuals who engage in sexual relations with partners assigned male at birth in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S. To compare effectiveness, 2,180 participants used lenacapavir and 1,087 participants used Truvada, another drug from Gilead approved for prevention. There were only two reported incidents of HIV in the lenacapavir test group versus nine in the Truvada group.

Ian L. Haddock, founder and executive director of the Normal Anomaly Initiative, participated in Purpose 2 as a trial subject. He said in a statement that he is “honored to be part of this journey, and even more excited to help our communities navigate what comes next.”

“Being a part of the PURPOSE 2 trial was about more than just my own health, it was about opening a door for others like me,” Haddock said. “In a region where stigma and systemic health inequities too often limit access to care, this injectable PrEP has the potential to transform how people protect themselves and reclaim agency over their sexual health.”

Perspectives/ Sports/ Top Stories

The New York Mets went all out for Pride Night 2025, and homophobes are – predictably – furious

Emily Maskell, Pink News June 18, 2025

New York Mets fans have praised the iconic baseball team’s celebration of Pride Month, flying the Progress Pride flag during the national anthem and spotlighting a gay kiss on the jumbotron.

On Friday (13 June), the Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays became a showcase of LGBTQ+ acceptance and joy, marking the Mets’ ninth annual Pride Night celebration.

As per the Mets website, Pride Night is “one night each year when Citi Field swaps blue and orange for the entire rainbow!”

Despite losing the game (9-0), the Mets pleased many fans with their full volume support of LGBTQ+ rights.

A couple of teams also have Pride Month traditions, for instance, the Los Angeles Dodgers players wore baseball caps with the Pride flag coloursincorporated, and the Boston Red Sox held a pre-game drag show.

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Ahead of the Mets game, Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Season 6 ofRuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Jan Sport held a pre-game warm-up Pride Party.

The festivities featured DJs, in-game entertainment, Mets Pride merchandise and themed cocktails. Furthermore, the first 15,000 fans received an exclusive Mets Pride tank top.

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Ahead of the game a number of players were also seen wearing tank tops with “New York is love” on their chests in rainbow font.

For ticketing, the Mets partnered with NYC Pride on a special ticket offer. NYC Pride tickets included a limited-edition Pride Night fanny pack with a portion of the proceeds from each ticket donated directly to NYC Pride initiatives.

“I’m converting to Mets fandom”

One fan reacted to the flag’s appearance by saying they’re planning to switch allegiance: “You guys I’m converting to Mets fandom bc they showed the pride flag instead of the american flag during the anthem.”

The introduction of players on the big screen included a rainbow background: a special Pride Month feature.

Later, as the jumbotron surveyed the crowd, the camera stopped for a gay kiss as Chappell Roan’s ‘”Pink Pony Club” played – it couldn’t have been a more iconic moment.

Pete Alonso, a prominent player and the Mets’ first baseman, also changed his walk up song to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, especially for Pride Night.

Unsurprisingly, there was also quite a bit of homophobic backlash to the Pride Night baseball game (what did the homophobes expect from Pride Night?!). Some angry right-wing fans even went so far as to blame the “woke sickness” of Pride for causing the team’s defeat.

However, despite this negativity, many fans shared that they had a wonderful evening, which was topped off with Wicked-themed fireworks, and also rainbow fireworks.

One fan shared: “even though the mets lost i had the absolute best time at pride night. i was too drunk to post anything last night so enjoy!”

“Amazin’ [Mets]Pride Night at Citi Field!” Another fan posted. “Rainbows, joy, and good baseball filled the night.”

“It all started 10 years ago with a call, a vision, and a partnership between [The LGBT Network], [the MLB] and the late Billy Bean.

“Here’s to more years of [Mets] Pride!”

Supreme Court upholds Tennessee ban on transgender youth medical care

Lawrence Hurley June 18, 2025

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Tennessee law restricting gender transition care for minors, delivering a major blow to transgender rights.

The 6-3 ruling is likely to have a broad impact as 24 other states have already enacted laws similar to the one in Tennessee, which bars gender transition surgery, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for youth.

Those laws now look set to survive similar legal challenges. The ruling does not affect states that do not have such bans, meaning care in those states will still be available.

The court was divided on ideological lines, with the six conservatives in the majority and the three liberals in dissent.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts concluded that the Tennessee law does not constitute a form of sex discrimination that would violate the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

“This case carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field,” Roberts wrote. “The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound.”

“The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements,” he added.

Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissenting opinion that contrary to the majority’s conclusion, the law does discriminate based on both sex and transgender status and should therefore be analyzed closely.

“By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims,” she wrote. “In sadness, I dissent.”

Sotomayor also took the relatively unusual step of reading a summary of her decision from the bench in court, saying the impact of the decision is “incredibly dangerous.”

Trans rights activists have warned that a ruling allowing bans on care for trans minors could pave the way for similar restrictions aimed at adults.

“Today’s ruling is a devastating loss for transgender people, our families, and everyone who cares about the Constitution,” Chase Strangio, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents the challengers, said in a statement.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti welcomed the decision as a win for “common sense over judicial activism.”

He added that legislators should give “careful scrutiny” before allowing such treatments, making judgments “based on science, not ideology.”

The legal challenge was brought by the administration of former President Joe Biden, as well as transgender teens and their families.

The ruling does not resolve all legal issues relating to the state bans, as it did not address a separate argument under the 14th Amendment that the laws violate the right of parents to make health care decisions for their children.

The court also did not rule on the question of whether laws that discriminate against transgender people are subject to what is called “heightened scrutiny,” meaning that judges should review them with a skeptical eye. But three of the conservative justices said transgender people are not a “suspect class,” meaning laws targeting them should not receive heightened scrutiny.

Other issues involving transgender rights, such as laws blocking transgender girls from participating in sports, are likely to reach the court in due course.

Upon taking office in January, President Donald Trump has set about unwinding Biden policies that sought to bolster transgender rights. Among other things, he signed an executive order seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for teenagers nationwide. A judge quickly blocked it.

Trump has also imposed new restrictions on transgender people serving in the military.

Enacted in 2023, the Tennessee law is among a wave of similar measures taken by states imposing restrictions on gender transition treatments. In defending its ban, the state’s lawyers pointed to similar measures taken in other countries, including in Europe.

Skrmetti emphasized in court papers the evolving debate over how best to treat minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the clinical term given to the distress people can experience when their gender identities are in conflict with the genders assigned to them at birth.

Major medical organizations say gender-affirming treatments are an effective way to treat gender dysphoria.

The challengers argued that the law is a form of sex discrimination that violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause because the treatments at issue in the case — puberty blockers and hormone therapy — can be used in other situations.

The case marks the most significant ruling on transgender rights since the court in 2020, to the surprise of many, ruled that federal employment protections extend to gender identity, as well as sexual orientation.

The dispute reached the Supreme Court after the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2023 rejected challenges to the Tennessee law and a similar measure in Kentucky.

A district court judge had blocked parts of the law, while concluding that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge the surgery ban. That provision of the law was not at issue before the Supreme Court.

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