Transgender and the Law: A Public Conversation

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in US v. Skrmetti upheld new laws in 23 states criminalizing the provision of healthcare to people with a gender dysphoria diagnosis. These bans on trans healthcare are the first such laws in history. The Skrmetti case comes amidst the second Trump Administration’s unprecedented attacks on transgender people in the form of executive orders, demonizing pronouncements, the deletion of websites, the expulsion of transgender people from the military, visa bans and passport restrictions, and the firings of transgender federal employees. The case marks a new phase in the relationship between transgender people and the law in the United States, a phase that participants in the colloquium will parse, from a transnational and historical perspective. 

The Transgender and the Law colloquium is a meaningful space for community engagement and critical thought in the wake of a momentous SCOTUS decision. On October 16, we will screen the Sundance Film Festival documentary about the Skrmetti case, Heightened Scrutiny followed by a Q&A with the director, Sam Feder, an award-winning filmmaker (Disclosure, 2020). On October 17, a panel of experts will discuss the legal landscape for trans rights after Skrmetti.