Federal Government and Advocates Challenge State Laws Banning Transgender Healthcare

A Missouri judge temporarily halted enforcement of a rule that restricts access to gender-affirming health care for transgender kids and adults.
The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Tennessee's new law banning transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care.
The federal government is seeking to invalidate the statute because it violates the Constitution's equal protection clause by discriminating on the basis of both sex and transgender status.
Republican lawmakers across the country have proposed hundreds of laws aimed at transgender people.
Major medical organizations support gender-transitioning care and have said that bans pose serious mental health risks to young people, infringing not only on their rights but also on the rights of doctors and parents.