U.S. v. Skrmetti

The Supreme Court case United States v. Skrmetti challenged Tennessee’s state law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. On  June 18, 2025, the Court upheld the law and ruled in favor of the state, concluding that the law does not violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. As a result, other states may now be emboldened to restrict care knowing the Court likely won’t intervene.

‘Project 2025 Is Tennessee 2024’: Dispatches From the Front Lines

PUBLISHED 12/4/2024 by

With Donald Trump set to take over the White House next year, the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 agenda for the next conservative president looms large. But what if Project 2025 has already arrived?
Republican state legislative supermajorities never needed Trump in power to begin enacting parts of the Heritage Foundation’s policy agenda. 

“Project 2025 is Tennessee 2024,” said Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones, “because we have been the tip of the spear in experiencing some of these rollbacks that would be expanded nationally under this proposal.”

While Trump’s return to the White House is discouraging, we cannot afford to despair or stagnate. There are still spaces for collective action, particularly at the local level, and we must continue conversations across the aisle. 

When Protecting Girls Is Twisted Into Attacking Trans Youth: FGM/C Survivors Fight Back Against Transphobic Right-Wing Narratives

PUBLISHED 12/4/2024 by

Efforts are underway around the world to ban female genital mutilation/cutting, and 41 U.S. states have laws on the books to address it. 

But the efforts of survivors and activists—and I’m both—have been hamstrung by the current wave of conservative opposition to medical care for trans youth, yet another ugly consequence of the crackdown on rights for transgender Americans. As we try to make sure that girls who are at risk of FGM/C, or who are dealing with the consequences of it, have the protections they need, those who oppose rights for trans people are weaponizing the laws we advocated for to deny trans youth the gender-affirming care they need.

How a Pennsylvania Middle School Violated the Privacy of Its LGBTQ+ Students: A Window Into SORVO

PUBLISHED 12/4/2024 by

You’re a student at Emory H. Markle Middle School. You’re trans, and your teachers aren’t allowed to use your correct name or pronouns. They’ll be punished if they address you with any identifier other than what you’ve been legally assigned. LGBTQ-inclusive books have been banned. A transgender student at a nearby school was killed in a hate crime earlier this year.

The gender-neutral bathroom is the only place in your school that brings you refuge from the transphobia swirling around you. Then, the school cuts a window into the bathroom wall, and everyone can see in.

The school district’s board president stated the reasoning for the window was to “better monitor for a multitude of prohibited activities such as any possible vaping, drug use, bullying or absenteeism.” The kicker? The windows were only installed in Markle’s gender-inclusive bathrooms.

The Same Conservative Playbook That Overturned Roe Is Now Coming for Trans Healthcare

PUBLISHED 11/27/2024 by

2024 marks the first time in several years that the U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a significant case relating to abortion rights—but the question of the constitutional right to bodily autonomy remains on the docket. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case challenging Tennessee’s ban on healthcare for trans youth. The case is the first of its kind to be heard by the nation’s highest court—and as such will likely set an important precedent for future trans rights cases.

“The Court has the opportunity and duty to apply the law fairly, which means returning medical decisions to where they rightfully belong: to parents, their children and their doctors.”

Keeping Score: Women Stockpile Plan B Post-Election; Feminists React to Trump’s Cabinet Picks; Harriet Tubman Finally Recognized for Military Service

PUBLISHED 11/27/2024 by

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Women stockpile emergency contraception and medication abortion after the election; one in five Americans gets news from social media influencers; House Republicans Nancy Mace and Speaker Mike Johnson harass incoming trans Representative Sarah McBride; Michelle Obama explains the double standards Kamala Harris faced; childcare costs more than rent for many families; Trump’s Cabinet picks spread sexist messages; Rep. Erica Lee Carter (D-Texas) became the 95th member of the Democratic Women’s Caucus after winning a special election to replace her late mother Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; acknowledging Native Women’s Equal Pay Day; Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman was finally recognized for her military service; Trump’s margin over Harris will be about 1.5 points, the fifth-smallest gap since 1900; and more.

Keeping Score: Texas and Tennessee Push Anti-Trans Bills; Over 100 Women Journalists Are in Prison; Biden and Harris Take Steps to Lower Childcare Costs

PUBLISHED 7/17/2023 by

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Vice President Kamala Harris announced new steps to lower the cost of childcare for U.S. families; legislators introduce Abortion Justice Act and Kira Johnson Act in Congress; at least 100 women journalists were in prison during the first quarter of the year, and 47 were harassed or physically assaulted; Supreme Court rules against affirmative action and LGBTQ+ discrimination protections; states target gender-affirming care for minors; New Mexico implements abortion care hotline; FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control pill; EEOC begins accepting charges under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; Florida, Arkansas and other states dropped thousands of Medicaid recipients since the pandemic; and more.