Chase Strangio, an ACLU lawyer, will be the first openly transgender attorney to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court in December, opposing Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Strangio represents a group of transgender individuals challenging the law that prohibits treatments like hormones and surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Dec. 4 in an appeal by President Joe Biden’s administration. Strangio has been praised for his expertise in transgender rights and has worked on high-profile cases such as Gavin Grimm and Chelsea Manning. Tennessee is one of 22 states with laws targeting medical interventions for adolescents with gender dysphoria, with supporters arguing the treatments are experimental and potentially harmful, while medical associations believe gender-affirming care can be life-saving. Plaintiffs, including transgender youth and parents, sued to defend the treatments that had improved their well-being. The Justice Department intervened to challenge the law, arguing that banning care for transgender youth violates the constitutional promise of equal protection. The state defended the law, claiming it protects minors from risky interventions. The law was blocked in 2023 but reversed by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court has addressed LGBTQ rights in several cases over the past decade, including legalizing same-sex marriage, protecting LGBTQ employees from workplace discrimination, and allowing businesses to refuse services for same-sex weddings based on free speech rights.
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First transgender lawyer to openly argue at Supreme Court
