Because I’ve seen genuinely nobody talking about it, I wanted to make a post about United States vs. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court case that just had oral arguments made today. This case was brought forth by the ACLU, and asks whether discrimination against trans people can violate the Constitution, in response to Tennessee’s law banning gender affirming care for trans youth.
This is the most important trans rights case probably fucking ever, and though nothing was decided today, it doesn’t look good y’all. For anyone. In short, the Court is probably going to uphold Tennessee's ban on care for minors, but might absolutely destroy rules about sex-based discrimination. Several of the Republican justices "suggested creating a carveout from the ordinary constitutional rule restricting sex-based discrimination of all kinds." Chief Justice Roberts offered up the idea of allowing the government sweeping authority to engage in medical discrimination, and of course, Justices Kavanaugh, Alito, Barrett, and Thomas all indicated being in favor of that. The implications go beyond just trans people, here.
And not only does it look like the Supreme Court will uphold Tennessee's law, but this decision could open doors for the government to prevent adults from seeking gender affirming care, likely leaving it a states' rights situation. For many of us (trans people), this will likely end up being a matter of life or death. Red states have been trying to institute bans like this for years now, and the decision that may very well come down from the Supreme Court about Skrmetti will only embolden these efforts.
Please don't ignore this post. Please reblog it, spread it around, because I've seen dick about it on this website all day. Engage in local and state governments, form community, don't stick your head in the sand. If you're cis, you should reblog this. Trans issues effect you too, and if caring about other human beings isn't a reason enough for you to give a damn, they will eventually become your issues.
Educate yourselves, know your rights, and know what's happening in your communities. There are good things out there too. The arguments made in front of the court today were historic on multiple fronts. Chase Strangio, the lawyer for the ACLU, became the first known/openly trans person to argue in front of the Supreme Court. That's one hell of a historic first. I know the impulse right now is to turn away from news and politics, because it all seems painful, but that is the last thing we should be doing. Please stay vigilant, and stay hopeful.
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