Summarised by Centrist
When the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the previous Biden administration challenged Tennessee’s 2023 ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, they hoped to deliver a knockout blow to similar laws spreading across Republican-led states.
Instead, the Skrmetti decision entrenched those bans in a 6–3 ruling, with the court rejecting the argument that the treatments were constitutionally protected.
Lower courts had already begun to sour on the ACLU’s argument that puberty blockers and hormones were safe and evidence-based. Shifts in Europe added to the scepticism. A British review described the research as “remarkably weak evidence,” and even the Biden administration quietly distanced itself from parts of WPATH’s (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) guidelines.
For many, it marked the end of a long winning streak and the beginning of a reckoning. “People know the movement is stuck,” said longtime trans activist Dana Beyer. “They know we’ve gone too far. They know we’ve lost the thread.”
Critics say the movement abandoned cautious, incremental progress in favour of ideology and litigation gambles. “It’s one of the biggest mistakes in the history of trans activism,” said Brianna Wu of Rebellion PAC. The culture-shifting campaign that once persuaded many to back same-sex marriage and defeat ‘bathroom bills’ has struggled to maintain public trust when it comes to children.
