Transgender teens’ parents sue Idaho

BOISE, Idaho — The families of two transgender teenagers filed a lawsuit Thursday to block enforcement of Idaho’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors.

The ban, which was signed into law in April and is scheduled to take effect in January, violates the federal constitutional guarantees of equal protection for the teens and due process for their parents, the families say in the filing in U.S. District Court.

“Governor Brad Little signed the bill into law in the name of ‘protecting minors.’ But lawmakers and the Governor ignored the extensive legislative testimony that the Healthcare Ban harms children,” the court filing asserts.

The plaintiffs, whose representation includes the American Civil Liberties Union, note that the law makes it a felony for doctors to provide puberty blockers, hormone treatment and surgery for minors only in cases in which it is to help align their bodies with their gender identities. The same treatments are allowed for other purposes.