Law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth takes effect in Alabama
Alabama has implemented a law that makes providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth a felony. Those giving trans people under the age of 19 puberty blockers, hormones and medical procedures could face up to 10 years in prison.
US District Judge Liles Burke has not yet indicated when he will rule on a motion seeking to temporarily halt the ban after a two-day hearing reached its end on 6 May, two days before the law went into effect.
A lawsuit against the legislation, which was signed by Governor Kay Ivey on 8 April, was brought by organisations including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
It was filed on behalf of the parents of four young trans people in the state and plaintiffs argue that the measures breach the constitutional rights of trans citizens. “In one breathtakingly cruel and cowardly day, the Alabama legislature passed the single most anti-transgender legislative package in history,” said Cathryn Oakley of the HRC.
