By Chase Strangio, a 41-year-old ACLU lawyer, is set to make history this December as the first openly transgender attorney to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. Strangio will challenge Tennessee’s Republican-backed law prohibiting gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, marking a significant milestone in both legal and LGBTQ history.
As co-director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project since 2013, Strangio has emerged as the nation’s leading legal expert on transgender rights, according to ACLU Legal Director Cecillia Wang. “He brings to the lectern not only brilliant constitutional lawyering, but also the tenacity and heart of a civil rights champion,” Wang stated.
The case, one of the most consequential of the Supreme Court’s current term, will be heard on December 4. The Court has ordered argument time to be divided between the Justice Department and attorneys representing the original plaintiffs. Strangio will present arguments for the plaintiffs challenging the Tennessee law that bans medical treatments including hormones and surgeries for minors experiencing gender dysphoria.
The case represents a broader national debate, as Tennessee is among 22 states that have passed similar restrictions. While lawmakers supporting these measures cite concerns about experimental treatments, medical associations emphasize that gender-affirming care can be life-saving, pointing to higher suicide rates among those with gender dysphoria and long-term studies showing treatment effectiveness.
Strangio’s legal career includes representing high-profile clients such as transgender student Gavin Grimm in his bathroom access case and Chelsea Manning, the transgender former U.S. soldier imprisoned for leaking classified documents. The ACLU has filed 12 legal challenges against laws similar to Tennessee’s ban.
The plaintiffs, including two transgender boys, a transgender girl, and their parents, argue that the ban violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment by discriminating based on sex and transgender status. The Justice Department has intervened to support their challenge, noting that one of the law’s “declared purposes is to enforce gender conformity and discourage adolescents from identifying as transgender.”
This case joins a series of significant LGBTQ rights decisions by the Supreme Court over the past decade, including the 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage and the 2020 ruling protecting gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination. As Strangio prepares to make history at the Supreme Court, the case could set important precedents for transgender rights and medical care access across the United States.
