Attorney General Ellison opposes laws harming transgender youth in Kentucky and Tennessee

Joins coalition of 20 AGs in supporting lawsuits to block harmful new laws that limit access to lifesaving healthcare for trans youth

August 11, 2023 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that he has joined a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general in opposing dangerous laws in Kentucky and Tennessee that severely limit transgender youths' access to critical and lifesaving healthcare. The plaintiffs in L.W. v. Skrmetti are suing to block Tennessee’s SB 1 and Kentucky’s SB 150, which restrict medical treatment for transgender minors seeking gender-affirming care. Late yesterday, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs, stressing the importance of gender-affirming care for the health and well-being of transgender youth. 

“No state or politician should ever stand between you and your healthcare, and gender-affirming care is healthcare — period,” Attorney General Ellison said. “Fundamental to living with dignity, safety, and respect is the ability to express your truth as a human being, and gender-affirming care is one of the tools that helps transgender youth be who they are. Instead of caring for our vulnerable youth, Kentucky and Tennessee have chosen to attack them — and what happens to young people in Kentucky or Tennessee happens to our young people in Minnesota. I want our transgender youth, their families, and everyone who loves them to know that I have your back and I will use the power of my office to help protect you.”  

Many transgender teens suffer from gender dysphoria, which results from the incongruence between gender identity and sex at birth. Gender dysphoria has been found to cause severe distress and anxiety, depression, fatigue, decreased social functioning, overreliance on drugs and alcohol, and a poorer quality of life. Among transgender people, suicide attempts are nine times more common than in the overall U.S. population. Those risks are even higher among transgender youth. 

Tennessee’s SB 1 and Kentucky’s SB 150, enacted in March this year, are aimed at blocking transgender minors' access to medical treatment such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers that help treat gender dysphoria. 

In their amicus brief today, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition supported the plaintiffs' lawsuits seeking to block the enforcement of SB 1 and SB 150, arguing that the laws: 

In filing today’s amicus brief, Attorney General Ellison joins California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the coalition in the brief, and the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.  

If you need help 

If you identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and are struggling with your emotional health or are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, the following resources are here to support you:  

Trevor Project Lifeline: (800) 788-7386 
The Trevor Lifeline provides support to LGBTQ youths and allies in crisis or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk. 

Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860 Trans Lifeline provides peer support for the transgender community and is run by and for trans people. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Community: (800) 273-8255 This page offers information and resources for LGBTQ+ individuals who are struggling with suicidal feelings or mental health crises. 

LGBT National Help Center A national resource that provides LGBTQ+ community with free & confidential support and referral resources via phone, text, and chat. 

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) LGBTQI Page This page highlights the unique mental health needs of the LGBTQ+ community and includes hotlines and resources to help address those needs.