Transgender Child Is Suing The State Of North Carolina
A nine-year-old transgender child is suing the state of North Carolina due to its ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The child’s identity has been replaced with a pseudonym for the sake of the lawsuit and is backed and supported by his parents, a doctor, and several LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. Victor Voe says that the ban is unconstitutional and “gravely threatens the health and wellbeing of transgender adolescents.”
The current ban in North Carolina was a Republican-led initiative that passed earlier in 2023. It currently prevents minors in the state from accessing puberty blockers, hormone therapies, and gender-affirming surgery procedures. Penalties exist for doctors who provide gender-affirming care to minors.
Victor Voe’s lawsuit suggests that the North Carolina statewide ban violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause by revoking parents’ rights and ability to make medical decisions for their children.
The lawsuit states, “Victor is transgender. He knew from a very young age that his gender identity did not match his sex assigned at birth, and he generally lives as the boy he is in every aspect of life. However, with his puberty approaching, Victor will soon need medical care that is prohibited by the Health Care Ban.”
PFLAG is joining Victor on his legal journey. PFLAG CEO released a statement about the ban, saying that, “The same legislators who cried ‘parents rights’ on certain issues are saying that on other issues, parents can’t be trusted to make decisions about what is right for their own children and families.
“It certainly makes one wonder if perhaps these legislators aren’t truly worried about the actual health and well-being of trans kids in North Carolina.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper vetoed the bill earlier this year, but the veto was overridden and the gender-affirming care ban went into effect immediately. Watch this space as Victor Voe’s battle with the state of North Carolina unfolds.
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Featured Image: Courtesy of AP
