MTPC Condemns the Supreme Court’s Decision in US v. Skrmetti
In a partisan 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth under 18. The Court has allowed systemic bigotry and a woeful misunderstanding of the needs of transgender youth to push them toward taking Tennessee’s side.
MTPC strongly condemns this ruling as we stand firm in our work to build a future where anyone and everyone can access the health care that is best and appropriate for them as a unique, individual human being; without government intervention.
Additionally, we reassure you all that despite this court decision, gender affirming healthcare for youth remains legal in Massachusetts and we will do everything in our power to make sure it always stays that way—now and always!
Although the Supreme Court has been vaunted as an institution for upholding justice—consider the Brown v. Board of Education and Obergefell v. Hodges decisions—it has also been a source of oppression. This ruling is of a piece with Dobbs: a decision that stripped marginalized people of their dignity and agency and interfered with their bodily autonomy.
We know that gender-affirming care has long-term benefits for transgender and nonbinary youth, and we also know that suicide and depression rates increase when youth are denied support, affirmation, and recognition. This decision flies in the face of the stance of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has long acknowledged the value of gender-affirming care for young people.
“This ruling is a betrayal of our youth and a stark reminder that legality is not the same as justice,” says Tre’Andre Valentine, MTPC’s Executive Director. “The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth is a devastating act of state-sanctioned erasure. It ignores medical consensus, undermines the rights of families, and fuels a dangerous political agenda that targets the most vulnerable among us. But no court can define who we are or diminish the truth of our existence. We remain steadfast in our commitment to trans youth and their right to thrive—unapologetically, joyfully, and with dignity.”
It is for these reasons that we condemn the Skrmetti ruling and worry that this decision will embolden those who seek to harm us and deprive us of our dignity—and our very lives.
While we don’t yet know the full impact that the Skrmetti decision will have on access to healthcare for trans and nonbinary people, we do know that it will mean more and more people will be looking to places like Massachusetts to receive gender-affirming medical care and possibly to uproot their lives and relocate here.
We need all the help we can get to prepare for this. There is already a huge shortage of accessible, affirming medical providers in our Commonwealth and we’re going to see even more strain on these clinics and healthcare centers than we already have.
As we prepare for the potential losses of insurance coverage for gender-affirming care and funding for healthcare centers and hospitals that provide gender-affirming services, MTPC’s REACH program will be among the first line of support for trans and nonbinary people who will need help paying for access to hormone replacement therapy, doctor’s visits, costs associated with surgery, and more.
MTPC relies solely on our grassroots individual donors to fund our direct cash assistance programs.
Your gift of any amount to MTPC will ensure that we can meet as many of these needs as possible, continuing to build toward the beautiful, joyous, and safer new trans future that we are all envisioning together.
