Tennessee’s ban on child sex changes was upheld in court as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s preliminary injunction on the ban Thursday.
In the opinion, the judge said that transgender people are not a “politically powerless” group, addressing claims from activists that the law deserves “heightened scrutiny” due to the perceived oppression of transgender people.
“Whatever may have been true in the past about our society’s treatment of individuals with gender dysphoria, some of it surely lamentable, it is difficult to maintain that the democratic process remains broken on this issue today,” the judge wrote. “The President of the United States and the Department of Justice support the plaintiffs. A national anti-discrimination law, Title VII, protects transgender individuals in the employment setting.” (RELATED: Unearthed Emails Show Rachel Levine Discussing ‘Potential Revenue’ From Child Sex Change Procedures)
“Fourteen States have passed laws specifically allowing some of the treatments sought here. Twenty States have joined an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs. The major medical organizations support the plaintiffs. And the only large law firms to make an appearance in the case all entered the controversy in support of the plaintiffs. These are not the hallmarks of a skewed or unfair political process.”
This is huge. Our ban on child mutilation has been upheld. When we passed the bill, trans activists gloated that they would easily get it overturned in court. Who’s gloating now you child butchering ghouls? https://t.co/cQCeUo2cH2
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 29, 2023
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) pediatric transgender clinic ceased offering sex change procedures for minors after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed legislation into law in March that bars healthcare providers from administering cross-sex treatments to minors. Reports that VUMC was offering cross-sex medical procedures, including hormones and surgeries to minors surfaced in September, prompting the legislation.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against Tennessee challenging the law in April. A judge blocked enforcement of the law in June.