INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A ruling from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a previous hold on Indiana’s controversial law banning gender-affirming care for minors, putting the law into effect immediately.
Senate Bill 480 passed the Indiana legislature last spring and was signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb last April. The law was slated to take effect July 1 of last year, but was halted after a federal judge out of Indianapolis approved of a partial injunction, temporarily blocking the bill from becoming law.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana filed the lawsuit in federal court on behalf of transgender youth on the same day Governor Holcomb signed the bill, alleging that the law violated the U.S. Constitution.
After Tuesday’s ruling, the ACLU and the ACLU of Indiana issued the following statement:
“This ruling is beyond disappointing and a heartbreaking development for thousands of transgender youth, their doctors, and their families. As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want all the transgender youth of Indiana to know this fight is far from over and we will continue to challenge this law until it is permanently defeated and Indiana is made a safer place to raise every family.”
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana
