Trailblazing trans lawyer Chase Strangio set to make history at US Supreme Court
ACLU Attorney Chase Strangio will make history at US Supreme Court. (Bonnie Biess/Getty Images for Lesbians Who Tech & Allies)
Chase Strangio is set to make history as the first openly transgender lawyer to argue a case in front of the US Supreme Court.
Strangio, who previously represented transgender military whistle-blower Chelsea Manning when she was denied the right to transition while incarcerated, will make his supreme court debut on 4 December. The case he will present, US vs. Skrmetti, concerns the families of the transgender youngsters, and a doctor, who claim they are victims of Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
They are suing the state’s attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti in a bid to prevent the law being enforced.
The case is being heard following an appeal by the Biden Administration.
“This court’s resolution of the question presented will determine whether the plaintiff adolescents have access to essential medical care in Tennessee and whether the plaintiff parents face the choice of relocating to a different state or foregoing essential medical care for their children,” the appeal read.
Strangio, who is the co-director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) LGBTQ and HIV project, has worked on many LGBTQ+ cases, including Bostock vs. Clayton County, which led to protections for queer workers. He was also involved in filing an injunction against Donald Trump’s trans armed services ban.
Cecillia Wang, the ACLU’s national legal director, said: “Chase Strangio is our nation’s leading legal expert on the rights of transgender people, bar none. He brings to the lectern not only brilliant constitutional lawyering, but also the tenacity and heart of a civil rights champion. Our clients couldn’t have a better advocate in this case.”
James Esseks, another co-director of the ACLU’s HIV project, said: “There is no attorney in the country better suited for this landmark moment in LGBTQ history than Chase Strangio.”
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