This morning, June 18th, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth—including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other treatments recommended by medical professionals and supported by loving families.

At the Jewish Center for Justice, we see this not as an isolated ruling, but part of a coordinated campaign to undermine the rights, dignity, and futures of transgender young people across the country.

✅ What This Ruling Does

• Allows Tennessee’s ban to remain in place, cutting off trans youth from essential care.
• Signals to other states that similar bans may be upheld—inviting a flood of copycat legislation.
• Forces families to travel across state lines or relocate entirely—often at enormous emotional and financial cost.

🚫 What It Does Not Do:

• It does not create a national ban—many states still protect access to care.
• It does not apply to adults (though future efforts may).
• It does not change the medical consensus: gender-affirming care remains safe, effective, and life-saving.
• It does not end the fight—advocates and providers are pushing back right now.

🌍 Who Is Affected:

• Trans youth in Tennessee and any state considering similar bans.
• Families forced into heartbreaking decisions about separation or relocation.
• Medical professionals who face risk for providing standard, evidence-based care.
• Trans youth everywhere—once again made targets in political battles over their very existence.

🛡️ Where Care Is Still Protected:

States like California, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Maryland continue to protect and provide gender-affirming care—and have passed shield laws to protect families and providers.

⚠️ What’s Next: Federal Retaliation

This ruling could clear the path for more extreme policies:

• Withholding Medicaid or HHS funding from hospitals that offer trans care.
• Redefining Title IX to exclude gender identity.
• Tying federal health dollars to ideological restrictions—not science.

These proposals would devastate:

• Public and teaching hospitals.
• Rural clinics already stretched thin.
• Low-income patients, including cisgender individuals, who rely on these services.

This is not responsible health policy—it’s coercion.

🙌 What You Can Do

1. Know the Facts

• Every major medical organization in the U.S. endorses gender-affirming care.
• Denying care dramatically increases rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among trans youth.

2. Speak Out

• Contact your state and federal legislators to demand protections and pass shield laws.
• Advocate for legal frameworks that support care, dignity, and access.

3. Support Trans Youth

Use inclusive, affirming language, and partner with organizations like:

• The Trevor Project
• Trans Lifeline
• ACLU Trans Rights Project
• GLAAD
• EQCA
• HRC

✡️ A Jewish Response:

Jewish tradition commands us to protect the vulnerable, uphold dignity (kavod habriyot), and pursue justice without delay.

This ruling is not the end—it is a call to action.

We stand with transgender youth. We stand with their families.

We stand for dignity, compassion, and the right to live freely.

We will not be silent.