Overview

• The ACLU and ACLU of Kansas filed suit in Douglas County District Court on behalf of two transgender teens and their mothers seeking to block enforcement of Senate Bill 63.
• Senate Bill 63, enacted in January after the legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto, bars puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries for minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria and restricts social transition.
• Plaintiffs argue the law violates the Kansas Constitution’s equal protection guarantees and fundamental rights by substituting government mandates for parental medical decision-making.
• The measure includes exceptions for minors with medically verifiable disorders of sex development, but critics say it still undermines evidence-based care for transgender youth.
• Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has pledged to defend the ban in court even as major medical organizations emphasize that gender-affirming care is medically necessary for minors.