Texas LGBTQ+ advocates react to U.S. Supreme Court announcement

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided it will hear arguments and eventually make one of its first rulings on transgender rights for teenagers.

The Texas LGBTQ community and activists said the case will have a direct and lasting effect on current battles about transgender medical care for teens in Texas, even though the high court will decide on a Tennessee case.

“If the case were to go in the direction of overturning the ban, it would reopen the opportunities for trans youth here in Texas that were closed by the passage of our healthcare ban in the last legislative session,” Brad Pritchett with Equality Texas said.

In the last legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed a law similar to the one the high court will hear. The law that went into effect in September stops doctors from using puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors who are hoping to transition.

This will be the first time the U.S. Supreme Court will consider something surrounding healthcare for the transgender community.

Texas advocates said the ban has been a nightmare for transgender teens and their families.

“When these bans get passed, parents have to make a decision. And that decision is, do they take healthcare away from their child, healthcare that they have watched, save their child, have watched, allow their child to live as their full self,” Pritchett said. “Or are they going to try to pack up and go someplace that's safer for their family? And unfortunately, what we've seen in Texas is parents having to do that.”

Oral arguments and a ruling are expected in the court's next term, which starts in October and ends in June next year.