Supreme Court to Hear Case On Conversion Therapy Ban
Leading Off: The U.S. Supreme Court prepares to see a case on conversion therapy bans tomorrow, campaigning on an anti-trans platform is notably unpopular, and some states push to ease restrictions on transgender Americans updating their documents. Our top stories starting out the week in trans news.
by Assigned Media
Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case to determine the legality of conversion therapy bans. The case, a challenge to a Colorado ban on the practice brought by therapist Kaley Chiles, argues that bans on conversion therapy are a violation of the First Amendment; reasoning that the ban limits what she can say to clients and thus restricts her freedom of speech.
Conversion therapy is widely debunked and banned due to the notable risks to mental health for people, especially minors, subjected to it.
This case comes at a critical time for LGBTQ+ rights. With the recent ruling on US v Skrmetti upholding a ban on gender affirming care for minors, two upcoming cases involving transgender participation in sport, and discussions of the Supreme Court revisiting Obergefell v Hodges; LGBTQ+ Americans stand to lose a lot of ground as the Trump regime continues its campaign to roll back civil rights protections.
Campaigning on anti-trans issues is notably unpopular, as anti-trans ads being run in the Virginia governor’s race by the Republican opponent of Democrat Abigail Spanberger show. The ads are falling flat with voters, which ought to be no surprise as Americans routinely rank trans issues last in their priorities. While Spanberger’s campaign focuses on issues of the Virginia economy and cost of living for Virginians, her opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, has poured millions of dollars into anti-trans ads attacking Spanberger’s support of trans people.
Despite the focused attack, Virginians seem largely unmoved, with polling showing trans issues as being a far lower priority for them than topics like: the economy, education, and healthcare. This apathy towards the main focus of the Republican campaign shows, with Spanberger leading the race by 10 points.
Some states are loosening restrictions on transgender Americans' ability to update gender on official documents. A federal judge in Arizona has ruled that gender affirming surgery is no longer a requirement for transgender people to be able to update their birth certificates. This change comes in tandem with Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs' promise to veto any anti-trans bill that comes across her desk.
Meanwhile, the Kansas Supreme Court this week overturned a ban on gender marker changes on driver’s licenses. The ban, passed in 2023, strictly defined gender as “man” and “woman” and ruled that sex assigned at birth was an immutable quality. Following the Court’s decision, Kansas legislators Ty Masterson and Dan Hawkins took the opportunity to try and pressure the legislature into convening for a special session for the purposes of changing the wording of the ban as well as gerrymandering their sole Democratic U.S. Representative out of office.
Hopefully, these courts’ support of trans rights and identities will serve as a bellwether for future state-level policy.
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