A federal judge has permanently struck down an Arkansas law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. on Tuesday says Arkansas violated its citizens’ constitutional rights to equal protection when it banned all gender-affirming treatments for people under 18.
The 80-page ruling says depriving trans minors of treatments like hormone therapy would cause them irreparable harm, and that delaying care until adulthood would force teens to go through changes inconsistent with their gender identity.
The verdict comes after an eight-day trial in December, where several of the state’s witnesses admitted they didn’t have experience treating transgender teens, and offered no evidence to dispute decades of scientific research.
Arkansas became the first state in the nation to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors in 2021. Three other states have similar laws which are temporarily on hold.
This story will be updated.
