Court ruling allows Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care to stand, though treatment remains available in Vermont.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2025
Contact:
Emily Hagan-Howe, Communications Director, ACLU of Vermont
[email protected] | 802-243-3339
Montpelier, VT – This morning, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a challenge brought by three transgender adolescents, their families, and a Memphis-based medical provider against a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming hormone therapies for transgender people under 18. With its ruling, the Court has allowed Tennessee’s law to stand, barring transgender youth in the state from accessing care. Importantly, this decision does not have a legal impact on the availability of gender-affirming care in Vermont.
The following statement can be attributed to Monica Allard, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Vermont:
“We should all be free to determine our own life course, and that includes ensuring transgender youth have the freedom to express themselves and access the medical care they need. With this devastating ruling, the Supreme Court has given a greenlight to discrimination against transgender youth in Tennessee and denied them the bodily autonomy and basic human dignity that we all deserve. Transgender youth barred from accessing appropriate medical care are in danger of worse physical and mental health outcomes, further compounding the harm and recklessness of this decision.
“To be clear, Vermonters will continue to have access to gender-affirming care. Through this decision, the Court has allowed Tennessee’s ban on this often life-saving care to take effect. While the ruling only directly applies to youth living in that state, it opens the door for similar bans passed in other states and is a painful setback in the fight for trans rights.
“We know that transgender people here and across the country are facing a surge of discrimination, harassment, and political attacks. No matter what the Court or politicians say, transgender young people and their families are not alone. We are committed to building a world where all people can access necessary healthcare with ease and dignity, and we will never stop fighting to defend the rights of transgender youth and their families.”
