LGBTQ+ organizations debate the next moves in the battle for gender-affirming care

Indianapolis, Indiana – ACL leaders announced on Wednesday that they will press on with their lawsuit following the implementation of Indiana’s statute prohibiting gender transition care.

Legislators in Indiana banned gender-affirming medical therapy for minors last year. The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is allegedly violated, according to a complaint filed right away by the ACLU of Indiana.

A federal district judge suspended the statute in June while the litigation was pending. The judge’s decision was overturned on Tuesday by the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which has authority over Indiana, and the ban went into force right once.

Chris Daley, executive director of the ACLU of Indiana, expressed his disappointment with the ruling. He stated that the ACLU is not making any decisions at this time because they are awaiting the judges’ complete ruling.

“Long-term, this really is an issue that the legislature needs to take care of,” he said. “This is a problem created by 101 legislators and a governor who last year signed a bill that’s going to terrorize transgender youth and their families and it really is up to the legislature to make this right.”

According to Daley, the injunction has no bearing on the ACLU’s lawsuit’s current position, which is pending trial. The litigation ought to conclude immediately, according to Attorney General Todd Rokita, whose office is in charge of representing the state in court. The purpose of the law, he explained, is to safeguard children.

“It’s about loving them. These kids certainly, obviously attention, they need love,” he said. “They don’t need this behavior affirmed. They don’t need to be marched into a hospital to have irreversible sex-change surgery when they aren’t even 18 yet.”

There has never been any proof that such procedures were carried out on children in Indiana. The director of engagement for Indiana Youth Group, Zoe O’Hailin-Berne, stated that surgeries performed on adults are almost invariably involved in well-known cases of people who had gender transition care but then changed their minds. As the legal battle rages, more transgender youngsters than ever are turning to her group for support and assistance. In addition to an increase in the number of young people who were already seeking assistance, she said the group has noticed an influx of new youth.

Asked what message she has for transgender youth amid the court battle, she replied, “Just keep holding on. Know that there are people who care about you. There are people who are here to fight for you. We know that you’re here. We know that you’re valid no matter what anyone says.”