AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court today refused to grant an emergency request for temporary relief and will allow Senate Bill 14 to take effect September 1, banning medical care for trans youth in Texas for the treatment of gender dysphoria.
A Travis County District Court had granted a temporary injunction last week that blocked implementation of the ban, but the Texas Attorney General immediately appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, thereby staying the injunction. The Texas Supreme Court did not provide any written explanation for allowing the law to remain in effect.
The legal advocacy organizations issued the following joint statement:
“Today’s cruel ruling places Texas’ transgender youth, and the families and medical professionals who love and care for them, directly in harm’s way. The district court heard two days of testimony, weighed the evidence, and made a reasoned and thoughtful determination that the ban likely violated the Texas Constitution, and thus should be delayed while the full case plays out in court. Inexplicably, the Texas Supreme Court disagreed, and transgender youth and their families are forced to confront the start of the school year fearful of what awaits them.
"But let us be clear: The fight is far from over. In its ruling, the district court clearly articulated the ways in which S.B. 14 likely violates the Texas Constitution by infringing upon the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children, infringing upon Texas physicians’ right of occupational freedom, and discriminating against transgender adolescents with gender dysphoria because of their sex, sex stereotypes, and transgender status. We couldn’t agree more, and look forward to continuing this fight.”
In July, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Texas, Transgender Law Center, and the law firms Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, filed a lawsuit challenging S.B. 14 on behalf of five Texas families, three medical professionals, and two organizations serving hundreds of families and health professionals across the state – PFLAG and GLMA.
The five Texas families challenging this law come from diverse backgrounds across the state with transgender youth who would be irreparably harmed if S.B. 14 goes into effect. The bill’s passage has resulted in families splitting up or planning to leave Texas to continue treatment for their children. The families are suing pseudonymously to protect themselves and their children, who are transgender Texans between the ages of 9 and 16.
Access more information about the lawsuit here: https://www.aclutx.org/en/cases/loe-v-texas
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources or support, please visit:
- Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) https://www.transtexas.org/resources
- Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860 or https://www.translifeline.org
- Trevor Project at 866-488-7386 or https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
