A legal representative from the American Civil Liberties Union, identifying as transgender, is set to plead a case before the Supreme Court for the first time.
Chase Strangio, serving as the co-director for the ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV Project, is set to appear before the high court on December 4. This appearance will see Strangio representing three trans minors in Tennessee, along with their parents and a local doctor, all of whom are challenging the state's ban on their rights. The court has granted the ACLU permission to share time during oral arguments with the Biden administration, which, like these individuals, is also urging the justices to declare the state law unconstitutional.
Strangio is gearing up for a historic confrontation with the court, which has a traditionally conservative stance, as transgender individuals continue to be a main target for Republican critics, including former President Trump, who has not hesitated to launch attacks against the community during his election campaign.
In recent years, the community has suffered political setbacks with numerous states passing a wave of restrictive laws, including healthcare bans like the one in contention, as well as measures preventing trans students from participating in sports teams aligned with their gender identity.
Cecillia Wang, the ACLU's legal director, affectionately described Strangio as the nation's foremost legal expert in transgender rights. Strangio offers not only exceptional constitutional knowledge and legal prowess, but also the unwavering spirit and determination of a civil rights advocate. The clients in this case could not ask for a better ally, Wang added.
Chase Strangio, a seasoned attorney within the ACLU, has been instrumental in numerous high-impact LGBTQ+ rights cases. Strangio played a key role in cases that led to the Supreme Court recognizing the right to same-sex marriage in 2015 and, more recently, determined that federal law protects gay, lesbian, and transgender workers in 2020.
The Tennessee law, passed last year, imposes restrictions on hormone therapy and puberty blockers for minors and sets civil penalties for doctors who deviate from these prohibitions. The law further stipulates that medical practitioners cannot perform procedures that assist minors in living as or identifying with a gender inconsistent with their biological sex.
Supporters of the ban argue that such decisions should only be made after an individual reaches adulthood. However, opponents counter by pointing out that this law infringes upon the civil rights of trans youth and encroaches upon parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children.
Strangio's appearance before the court is a significant event in the ongoing politics surrounding transgender rights, as the conservative stance of the court and Republican critics' targeting of the community continue to shape the political landscape.
The politics of transgender rights have seen several setbacks in recent years, with numerous states passing restrictive laws, including bans on hormone therapy and sports participation, which are seen as infringements on civil rights.
