ARKANSAS- A federal judge struck down Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, nearly 2 years after the bill's passage. Act 626 of 2021, known as the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act, prohibited physicians from providing “gender transition” treatments like hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries to those under age 18. The SAFE Act became law in May 2021 when the Arkansas Legislature overrode then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s veto.

Four transgender Arkansas minors, their parents and two physicians who have treated those minors filed suit just days later, represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union. A judge had originally granted an injunction stating the argument, “failed to provide sufficient evidence that the banned treatments are ineffective or experimental.”

Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a news release that the organization is “relieved and grateful” that Moody ruled to protect “life-saving care that should be available to all trans youth.” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed support for an appeal via Twitter and called gender-affirming care “a political agenda at the expense of our kids.” The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will have jurisdiction over further legal proceedings.

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