ARKANSAS, USA — A federal judge struck down Arkansas’s ban on gender transitioning care for trans youth.
On Tuesday, U.S. district judge Jay Moody issued a permanent injunction against the Arkansas law known as the “Save Adolescents From Experimentation” (SAFE) Act. This law previously stopped doctors from providing gender-transitioning hormone treatment, puberty blockers or surgery to a child or teen under the age of 18.
This first-in-the-nation ban was found unconstitutional, for it violates the rights of transgender youth, their parents and their medical providers.
Dylan Brandt, and his mother Joanna Brandt from Arkansas, said they have been fighting to see this law thrown out in the state since it was put in place two years ago.
“The emotional roller coaster, that we have been on over the last two years has been something that I know that I will certainly never forget,” said Joanna Brandt. “Listening to the state, present their case, hearing the ways in which people spoke about these kids, these human beings, were discouraging.”
Those who want the law to stay in place believe minors under the age of 18 should not be allowed to make this decision about their gender until they are a legal adult.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted on Tuesday, “This is not “care” – it’s activists pushing a political agenda at the expense of our kids and subjecting them to permanent and harmful procedures.”
Senator Tom Cotton tweeted, “Arkansas was right to protect kids from horrific experimental procedures that have no basis in science or healthcare. I'm confident that, in the long-term, our common-sense law will be upheld.”
And Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement that “there is no scientific evidence that any child will benefit from these procedures, while the consequences are harmful and permanent.”
Sarah Everett, Policy Director for the ACLU of Arkansas said “The court found decisively that this care is not experimental, that this care is beneficial and in some cases essential to trans youth and that some trans young people will not make it to the age of 18.”
Everett was in the legislative session when the bill passed.
“It's encouraging to finally have science and reason affirmed by an objective court, who, as I said, has seen the evidence from both sides,” said Everett. “You can't ban this care. You can't deny trans youth equal protection of the laws, you can't deny their parents the right to be involved in the health care decisions made for their kids.”
Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office plans to appeal Judge Moody’s decision to the eighth circuit.
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