Appeals Court Vacates Preliminary Injunction Against Alabama’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued an order on August 21 vacating the preliminary injunction that District Judge Liles C. Burke had issued in May 2022 to temporarily blocked the enforcement of that portion of Alabama’s “Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act” that makes it a crime to provide puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to persons under the age of 19 for purposes of confirming their transgender identity.  … <Read More>


6th Circuit Panel Stays Preliminary Injunction in Tennessee Gender-Affirming Care Case

For the first time, federal judges have suggested that constitutional challenges to state laws banning gender-affirming care for minors are unlikely to succeed, and have stayed a preliminary injunction that was issued by the district court on June 28 against operation of Tennessee’s law.  The case is LW. V. Skrmetti, No. 23-5600 (6th Cir.).  The state’s request to the trial judge to stay his preliminary injunction pending an appeal had been denied by that … <Read More>


Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Enforcement of Indiana Law Against Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

Earlier this year Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law Senate Enrolled Act 480 (SEA 480), which, effective July 1, 2023, would prohibit health care practitioners from proving gender-affirming procedures to minors, and from “aiding or abetting” another health care provider in providing such care to minors.

The procedures covered by the law are puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical alteration, and “aiding and abetting” would include assisting in treatment or making referrals.  These procedures … <Read More>


Federal Court Says West Virginia Can Bar Transgender Girls from Girls’ Sports Teams

A federal judge ruled on January 5 that a West Virginia law forbidding transgender girls from competing on girls’ scholastic sports teams does not violate the constitution or the federal law banning sex discrimination by educational institutions.   B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Board of Education, 2023 WL 111875, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1820 (S.D.W.Va., Jan. 5, 2023).

West Virginia enacted the “Save Women’s Sports Bill” in 2021.  The bill says that “inherent differences” between “biological … <Read More>