Two Idaho families filed a lawsuit challenging an Idaho law that criminalizes gender-affirming health care for transgender youth.
The case, Poe v. Labrador, was filed in federal court on June 1, 2023. The case is about access to gender affirming health care for youth in Idaho. It was prompted by HB 71, which was signed into law by Governor Brad Little in April 2023; the new law created by HB 71 prohibits gender-affirming medical care that is widely accepted to treat gender dysphoria, alleviate the distress of gender dysphoria, and improve patients' mental health and wellbeing. This treatment is supported by leading medical experts and all major U.S. medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Association of Pediatrics.
In the lawsuit, the Poe and Doe families assert that HB 71 violates the rights of transgender youth and their parents under the U.S. Constitution.
Idaho's ban on gender-affirming medical care robs youth in our state from acccessing widely accepted medical treatment. It prohibits puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and certain surgeries is they are used to affirm the gender of transgender youth. HB 71 also threatens medical providers that provide this standard, widely accepted care with a felony conviction and up to ten years in prison.
