By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
“Access to lifesaving medical care makes all the difference in the world,” the dad of a transgender daughter told The Advocate.
Last week, families of transgender youth across the country, already living through an era of heightened scrutiny and politicization, paid close attention as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could have major consequences for health care for trans minors in the country. In Illinois, Jen Grosshandler, executive director of the GenderCool Project, listened to the nearly two-and-a-half-hour hearing from her kitchen table. Grosshandler, who has a transgender daughter, Chazzie, was drawn to the complex legal arguments and the unexpected moments of humanity in the courtroom.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
“I was struck by the handful of times where we heard laughter,” Grosshandler told The Advocate in an interview Thursday. “It just struck me as a very human thing that we’ve got to remember we are human beings.” These flashes of levity reminded her that real people — and real lives — are at the center of this debate. For Grosshandler, who has long advocated for understanding the full humanity of trans youth, the legal wrangling cannot be separated from the everyday experiences of kids like her daughter.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed the future of gender-affirming care for transgender minors in what could be a defining moment for LGBTQ+ rights. Justices heard oral arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, the case challenging Tennessee’s ban (Senate Bill 1) on gender-affirming medical care for minors. This law blocks the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat gender dysphoria in those under 18 while permitting the same medications for other conditions. A decision is expected by mid-2025, and it could profoundly shape the legal landscape for transgender Americans in a political climate where Republican-led states have launched an unprecedented wave of attacks on trans rights.
The stakes are unmistakably high. Twenty-six states have passed laws restricting gender-affirming health care for transgender children and teenagers, according to data from the Movement Advancement Project. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking more than 559 anti-LGBTQ+ bills nationwide, many aimed squarely at trans students. The question before the Supreme Court is whether the Constitution protects these youth from discriminatory bans — or if more states will be emboldened to deny trans young people the care they need.
Chazzie, Grosshandler's daughter who was featured recently in The Advocate, socially transitioned at 9. Now 18, she cofounded her high school’s broadcasting club and aspires to become “one of the first transgender on-air news anchors of my generation,” she told The Advocate.
Her daughter's journey reflects the promise Grosshandler sees in all trans youth: They are future doctors, educators, journalists, and innovators.
“They are excellent young human beings, and they’re here,” Grosshandler said. “I want you to meet my daughter, and I want you to see, just go and spend five minutes with them or any of these other incredible young people.”
Related: 7 takeaways from the Supreme Court hearing on Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth
In Pennsylvania, Brett Freeman, father of three daughters — one of whom is transgender — shared similar concerns. He says being trans is “one of the least interesting things about her.” Although his daughter is now an adult, he recalls how critical affirming care was to her well-being.
“As a parent, I love all my kids, you know, and it didn’t matter to me what she was trying to say, it was, ‘Hey, let’s help her understand, find a solution, just make sure that she’s happy and on the right path,’” Freeman said of his daughter when she came out to him and his wife.
Freeman considers it “unfathomable” that lawmakers, rather than medical professionals, would limit access to care, which he insists is essential. “If I were to say what the outcome would be if she didn’t have access to adequate medical treatments, care, doctors, or just support all around, it would likely be a very different outcome,” he said.
For him, denying this care is as nonsensical as withholding insulin from a diabetic child.
Grosshandler and Freeman drew inspiration from the role Chase Strangio, a prominent attorney with the ACLU, played in the hearing. Strangio, who is transgender himself, made history as the first out trans lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court. Grosshandler was moved by the significance of that moment, noting the courage and skill it takes to stand before the nation’s highest court.
“I think it’s not lost on anyone that this extraordinary human being Chase made history,” she said. “I take tremendous inspiration from that.”
Freeman also recognized the gravity of Strangio’s presence. “It was sublime because here you had Chase there presenting the case,” Freeman said.
He highlighted the contrast between justices questioning the legitimacy of transgender identities and Strangio’s actual, physical presence. “Here they are questioning someone’s transgender humanity, and there you have Chase right in front of them, showing ‘I do exist.’ I think it was an important moment.”
Though the case centers on medical treatment, the hearing also veered into hot-button issues like transgender athletes in sports — a recurring theme in statehouses across the country. Freeman found this digression irrelevant and partisan, saying, “I thought that line of questioning had no relevancy to the specific case at hand.” He saw it as a distracting tactic that sidesteps the main issue: whether transgender minors can receive the medical care their doctors recommend.
Grosshandler also addressed the sports angle.
“We’ve got to do a better job as a collective explaining just how unbelievably tiny [the number] of transgender and nonbinary young people are who even want to step onto a field,” she said. The fixation on sports, she argues, distracts from the core reality that young trans kids deserve opportunities to learn teamwork, resilience, and life skills just like everyone else.
With a conservative court that seemed skeptical of challenging state authority, families worry that a ruling in Tennessee’s favor will only embolden more states to enact restrictions. The ripple effects could be severe, potentially even extending beyond youth to adults in the future.
“If we start discriminating and attacking the bedrock principles of the 14th Amendment as this law will do, it won’t stop there,” Freeman warned.
He and Grosshandler fear a future where more groups find their health care and rights subject to political whims.
Yet despite the challenges, these parents remain resolute. Grosshandler focuses on hope and persistence and is confident in the resilience of families and advocates.
“We will continue to use our influence and privilege to ensure that the kids coming up behind our kids are going to have the best possible chance at the lives they were meant to live,” she said. Likewise, Freeman trusts that families and allies will adapt, refuse to let their children suffer, and continue fighting for justice.
