Last Wednesday, ACLU lawyer and LGBTQ+ activist Chase Strangio made history as the first openly transgender person to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States. Strangio argued in United States v. Skrmetti, a pivotal case impacting transgender rights. Let’s take a closer look at this case, and why Strangio’s presence in the courtroom was so powerful.
In 2023, Tennessee and Kentucky passed laws denying transgender minors gender-affirming healthcare. The laws target puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex-transition surgeries that are inconsistent with the recipient’s biological sex. In response, transgender youth, their parents, and healthcare providers challenged these laws, arguing that they violate the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment, preventing parents from making decisions about their own children’s healthcare and discriminating on the basis of sex.
As a transgender man, Strangio’s presence at the podium during United States v. Skrmetti is a powerful reminder of progress. Not only is Strangio an accomplished staff attorney at the ACLU and a leading activist, but he is a transgender person and a father, with lived experience and a drive to make the world a better place for generations of the future. Strangio’s oral argument was monumental not only for transgender representation in the legal system, but for the fight for equal protection for all, whether it be in the healthcare system or in the courtroom.
Source: “United States v. Skrmetti.” Oyez, www.oyez.org/cases/2024/23-477. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.