Trump-Appointed Judge Drops the Hammer on Transgender Agenda, Law Goes Into Full Effect in a Few Weeks
A federal judge in Tulsa declined to stop a new law from taking effect that bans “gender transition” procedures for children.
U.S. District Court Judge John Heil III on Thursday denied a motion for a preliminary injunction requested by the plaintiffs challenging the law.
“This an area in which medical and policy debate is unfolding and the Oklahoma Legislature can rationally take the side of caution before permitting irreversible medical treatments of its children,” Heil wrote.
Heil was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump.
The new law, which bans treatments like puberty-blocking drugs or hormones for minors, was passed by Oklahoma’s Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in May.
Enforcement had been on hold under an agreement between the plaintiffs and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whose office is defending the law.
“The attorney general’s office continues to fulfill its duty to defend Senate Bill 613 and has won a ruling that results in full enforcement of that law,” Drummond spokesman Phil Bacharach said in a statement.
Oklahoma’s law includes a six-month transition period for minors who were already receiving puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones. That period ends early next month.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma, Lambda Legal and the law firm Jenner & Block LLP, issued a joint statement vowing an appeal and decrying the judge’s decision as a “devastating result for transgender youth and their families.”
“Denying transgender youth equality before the law and needlessly withholding the necessary medical care their families and their doctors know is right for them has caused and will continue to cause serious harm,” they said.
At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or banning “gender transition” treatment for minors, and most of those states face lawsuits similar to the one in Oklahoma.
A federal judge in June declared that Arkansas’ ban was unconstitutional, the first ruling to overturn such a prohibition. Arkansas was the first state to enact a ban.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted Arkansas’ request that the full court, rather than a three-judge panel, hear its appeal of the judge’s ruling.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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