BREAKING: GLAAD STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT RULING IN TRANSGENDER HEALTH CARE CASE U.S. V. SKRMETTI

(June 18, 2025 – New York, NY) – GLAAD, the world’s largest  lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer ( LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding today to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a landmark case on the constitutionality of blanket bans on health care for transgender Americans that are available to people who are not transgender.

The Court agreed with parts of the Sixth Circuit’s opinion that allowed a ban in Tennessee to take effect, holding that Tennessee’s SB1 – which bans transgender youth from accessing hormone therapy and medications for the treatment of gender dysphoria – does not draw a sex-based (or a trans status-based) line and thus only necessitates deferential review by the courts. That means SB1 can remain in place.

The decision is based on the record in and context of the Tennessee case and therefore does not extend to other cases concerning discrimination based on transgender status. The Court left in place other Supreme Court and lower court precedent that demonstrates that other examples of discrimination against transgender people are unlawful.

GLAAD’s President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis issued the following statement:
“Today, the Supreme Court took the place of parents and doctors and stripped away their ability to make private, lifesaving decisions for their children. This ruling is a chilling step toward unchecked government overreach, intruding on the most personal aspects of our private lives. All families are now less safe and left vulnerable to politicians and a Court that has abandoned its duty to protect personal liberties. Every family deserves the freedom to make the medical decisions that help their children live, thrive, and be well.”

Statement from Lucas Cameron-Vaughn, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Tennessee:
“Today the Supreme Court told Tennessee transgender youth and their families that they cannot access healthcare that is vitally important for a successful life. This ruling creates a class of people who politicians believe deserve healthcare, and a class of people who do not. We will continue to stand with transgender people in Tennessee and are committed to realizing a world where all people belong, are valued, and can access the necessary healthcare they need.”

Additional background:

• No court in the U.S. that has applied heightened scrutiny to a categorical ban on health care for transgender people has found that such a ban survives the test. Multiple judges found that bans were unconstitutional and that the states’ “expert” witnesses lacked credibility and expertise to support a ban.
• 24 states continue to allow best practice health care for transgender people and youth without restriction. Some states have also moved to legalize protections for people seeking health care including people from states with bans. Additional guidance here.
• Hormone therapy medication and medication to pause the effects of puberty have been used safely for decades, and is widely used by cisgender (non-transgender) people.
• The case was led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Lambda Legal.
• GLAAD fact sheet with background and relevant resources is available here.
• Background on groups fighting to ban transgender health care include longtime opponents of LGBTQ equality, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, which fought and lost the fight for marriage equality, as well as the right to legalize discrimination at work, legalize discrimination against couples looking to adopt, and has worked to restrict reproductive health care, miscarriage care, and abortion medication.