SCOTUS To Consider Transgender Bathroom Ban (& More!)

 Openly gay legal reporter Chris Geidner is reporting that the Supreme Court of the United States will be considering a number of important cases for trans equality in the 2023-2024 term.

Here are some of the issues which the highest Court in the land will be deliberating on in the not too-distant future regarding transgender rights:

Bathroom bans

In addition to the Idaho case at the Ninth Circuit, however, a case out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit could actually make bigger headlines. The Martinsville school district in Indiana, in a petition filed by Paul Clement, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the matter in a case challenging the district’s ban.

Gender-affirming care bans

In short, whether it comes quickly or slightly less quickly, state bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors will be headed to the Supreme Court within the coming year. (Note also that Florida’s ban — and litigation — also includes restrictions on adult care, as detailed in the recent class certification in a challenge to the ban there.)

Sports bans

The final major area of transgender-related litigation making its way through the courts are sports bans. And, on Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held oral arguments over West Virginia’s law banning trans girls and women from girls and women’s school sports teams.

Anti-drag laws

In short, while anti-drag laws are unlikely to make their way to the Supreme Court’s docket this term, there will be a ruling on the scope of Florida’s injunction pending appeal sometime in November. Depending on how that’s resolved, moreover, it could tell us some information about how the court is looking at these efforts.

This is just another example of the ongoing nature of the fight for LGBT equality occurring in the courts, even in the post-Obergefell era.

Hannah's Thoughts

To read my thoughts on the Cultural Exchange Rate, click here.

I read an article on misgendering, and here are my thoughts.

Prime Minister of Andorra Comes Out As Gay

Andorra is a tiny country (of 80,000 people) nestled between Spain and France in the Pyrenees mountains.

Monday September 11, the 43-year-old prime minister of Andorra, Xavier Espot Zamora, head of the government since 2019, revealed that he is gay in an interview with a news outlet. The headline says "El presidente de Andorra sale del armario: «Yo soy gay y nunca me he escondido» which I translate as  "The president of Andorra leaves the closet: 'I am gay and I have never hidden myself." In Spanish, the text of the report in The Observer is:

El jefe del Gobierno de Andorra, Xavier Espot, ha hecho pública su homosexualidad: «Yo soy gay y nunca me he escondido». Las declaraciones han tenido lugar en durante una entrevista en la radio pública del país, en la que el líder andorrano aseguró que nunca había hablado de su orientación sexual porque no le habían preguntado, pero que «no debe suponer ningún inconveniente», según recoge el diario Nació Digital.

«Estoy encantado de que pueda servir a jóvenes que están en una situación difícil», ha añadido. Espot ha explicado, además, que nunca ha sentido discriminación por su orientación sexual. Sin embargo, ha remarcado que no puede negar que otras personas sí que hayan vivido este tipo de situaciones por el mismo motivo. «Aún no hemos llegado a la plena igualdad de género», lamentó, por lo que ha defendido la necesidad de impulsar unas políticas públicas que combatan la LGTBIfobia.

This is translated (by Google) as:

The head of the Government of Andorra, Xavier Espot, has made his homosexuality public: “I am gay and I have never hidden myself.” The statements took place during an interview on the country’s public radio, in which the Andorran leader assured that he had never spoken about his sexual orientation because he had not been asked, but that “it should not cause any inconvenience,” according to the report.

“I am delighted that I can serve young people who are in a difficult situation,” he added. Espot has also explained that he has never felt discrimination due to his sexual orientation. However, he stressed that he cannot deny that other people have experienced this type of situation for the same reason. “We have not yet reached full gender equality,” he lamented, which is why he has defended the need to promote public policies that combat LGTBI-phobia. 

Espot Zamora becomes one of a handful of openly LGBTQ heads of state in the world. According to JoeMyGod, the others are: Luxembourg, Serbia, and Latvia. Wikipedia has a longer list (and distinguishes between heads of the government and heads of state). In the United States these are the same person (President of the United States) but in many other countries they are often different roles occupied by different people. For example, in England King Charles is head of state but Rishi Sunak is the head of government.

Do you know of any openly LGBTQ political figures in the USA?  There are currently three (3!)  openly LGBTQ governors in the United States. Name them in the comments!