A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by pro-transgender advocates, allowing Alabama to continue protecting children and youths from transgender advocates. The United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals released a divided 173-page decision in which ten out of 11 judges took part, according to the Alabama Reflector. In May 2022, an Alabama law went into effect, making it a felony to conduct transgender surgeries on minors or to offer them puberty blockers or hormone treatments.
The court’s decision comes after a three-judge panel issued a decision in August 2023 that reversed a ruling from a federal district court blocking Alabama’s ban from being enforced. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall expressed his satisfaction with the court’s decision, stating it was a “big win to protect children” in the state.
In her dissenting opinion, Judge Robin Rosenbaum argued that the panel opinion stripped every parent of their fundamental right to direct their children receive any medical treatment except for those treatments that existed before 1868. The decision from the federal appeals court comes as other states are also taking steps to protect children and ensure fairness in public institutions.
For instance, Sweet Briar College, a liberal arts college in Virginia, announced that it would only be accepting biological women, with the requirement that an applicant confirms their sex assigned at birth is female and that they consistently live and identify as a woman. Similarly, Missouri and 23 other states filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court in support of North Carolina and West Virginia seeking an appeal regarding a decision from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requiring taxpayer-funded healthcare insurance plans to cover medical treatments for transgender individuals.
In addition, Texas recently established a new policy that prevents transgender drivers from being able to change the sex listed on their license, with similar policies enacted in states such as Florida, Kansas, and Montana. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement stating that not having an accurate driver’s license jeopardizes trans people’s health and safety due to the potential for discrimination or harassment.
These developments highlight the ongoing debates surrounding transgender rights and the role of government in regulating access to medical treatments, as well as the importance of ensuring fairness in public institutions.