On the American Academy of Pediatrics' Faulty Brief to the Supreme Court About Gender-Care Bans

My breakdown of the amicus, or "friend-of-the-court", brief that the AAP and a roster of other medical societies submitted to the high court, which is riddled with flaws and remarkable omissions.

The U.S. Supreme Court, where I will be on Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for a landmark lawsuit that seeks to overturn Tennessee’s ban on pediatric gender-transition treatment. I will be there in person to hear arguments from ACLU and Justice Department attorneys as they seek to convince at least five justices that this ban amounts to sex discrimination violating the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. In a long-shot bid, they will also attempt to successfully argue that transgender children are a class warranting specific protection under that amendment.

In recent months, scores of amicus, or “friend-of-the-court,” briefs have been submitted to the Supreme Court, both supporting and opposing overturning Tennessee’s ban. Among the most notable is the brief submitted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, which among all traditional U.S. medical societies has been most out front in supporting open access to puberty blockers and cross-s…