Marjorie Taylor Greene once again has no idea what she's talking about.
The conservative continued to demonstrate the depths of her ignorance outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday when she spoke against gender-affirming care for youth, getting booed by the large crowd that turned out to support transgender children.
Greene ranted about children taking puberty blockers "before they’re old enough to join the military, before they’re ever old enough to ... be an adult," resulting in the heckles. The Georgia Rep. somehow seemed surprised by the crowd's reaction, despite the backwardness of her comments.
Puberty blockers, as the name describes, are meant to prevent the onset of puberty, meaning it is a treatment specifically for prepubescent children. They are completely reversible, and while they are most commonly used as gender-affirming care, they are also used among cisgender youth to prevent early puberty, usually to prevent adverse health effects, or to treat prostate cancer and endometriosis.
The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the World Medical Association, and the World Health Organization all agree that gender-affirming care is evidence-based and medically necessary not just for adults, but minors as well.
Multiple studies demonstrate that depression and anxiety is alleviated in youth when they receive treatment for gender dysphoria. An analysis of 55 studies found not a single one that concluded gender transition has negative outcomes.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case that could shape the future of transgender rights in the United States. At issue is Tennessee’s law, SB 1, banning gender-affirming medical care for minors. The law prohibits the use of puberty blockers and hormones for the treatment of gender dysphoria while allowing the same medications to be used for other conditions.
American Civil Liberties Union attorney Chase Strangio, the first out transgender lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court, argued that the legislation unjustly targets transgender individuals. While the court’s conservative majority appears hesitant to overturn the law, Strangio told The Advocate that “at the end of the day, we hope the court sees it as we do, but no matter what happens, we will keep fighting."