• Youth > Transgender Youth

May 3, 2023 (LOUISVILLE, KY) – Today, the ACLU of Kentucky, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), and law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP filed a lawsuit seeking to block the portion of Senate Bill 150 that bans medically necessary health care for trans youth in Kentucky.  

Banning essential medical care for transgender youth in Kentucky is egregious government overreach. Lawmakers have no place inserting themselves into the personal medical decisions of families of transgender youth in Kentucky and their health care providers, and by doing so, they are violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of parents to direct the upbringing of their children.  

“Under the Constitution, trans youth in Kentucky have the right to medically necessary care. We are filing litigation today to protect against this imminent threat to their well-being and make certain they can thrive by continuing to receive medical care,” said Corey Shapiro, ACLU-KY Legal Director (he/him). “We look forward to ensuring health care providers can continue to provide transgender Kentuckians with health care consistent with the standards of medicine adopted by leading medical authorities, not radical politicians.” 

Anti-LGBTQ laws like SB 150 are part of a national effort to target  trans and nonbinary people. Bills that ban essential medical care are not based on science or best practices and are not supported or endorsed by the leading major medical groups. These unconstitutional measures are political attacks from groups with a fundamental opposition to transgender people being able to live openly, freely, and affirmed as who they really are.  

The ACLU of Kentucky remains committed to protecting the civil liberties of ALL Kentuckians. Legislators cannot be singled out for discrimination, and we will continue to fight for equal rights and equal protection under the law. 

“Parents, not the government, should make medical decisions for their children,” said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter (he/him). “This is a dangerous law that intrudes on family privacy and prevents doctors from doing their job. We are honored to represent the families bringing this lawsuit in order to protect their children and ensure that other children and families are not harmed.”   

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky is freedom’s watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislature and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms. For additional information, visit our website at: www.aclu-ky.org.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education. Since its founding, NCLR has maintained a longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and the LGBTQ community’s most vulnerable. www.nclrights.org