Statement: NEW Pride Agenda Responds to U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Upholding State Bans On Gender-Affirming Care

Contact:
Max Schulman, max@anatgerstein.com, 347-861-4167

NEW Pride Agenda Responds to U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Upholding State Bans on Gender-Affirming Care

Organization urges state elected officials to respond forcefully by enacting strengthened shield law, investing in gender-affirming care.

(June 18, 2025) –– The NEW Pride Agenda, New York State’s leading LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization, issued the following statement from Executive Director Kei Williams in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, which upheld a state law in Tennessee that severely restricts gender-affirming care for trans and gender nonconforming youth:

“The Supreme Court decision to restrict gender-affirming care comes amid a torrent of attacks from the Trump administration, Congress, and hostile state governments, all of whom are intent on rolling back hard-won civil rights,” said Williams. “These attacks are not about safety or public health—they are about control, and they are targeting the most vulnerable.” 

Williams continued: “Here in New York, we must firmly establish that we are a true safe harbor for the TGNC community. That means taking decisive action. Governor Hochul must sign Shield Law 2.0—passed by both chambers of legislature—to reinforce our medical privacy protections and ensure New York remains a refuge. This legislation will preclude hostile states and the federal government from investigating, prosecuting, or punishing patients and providers of gender-affirming care.” 

“Additionally, we must bolster our investments in gender-affirming infrastructure across the state, especially as TGNC people feeling hostile states look to New York for support. If trans people cannot safely access care here, they will have nowhere else to go.”

“But let me be clear—this movement has always been about more than a single court decision. We are organizing across New York to expand protections and build the community power needed to make those protections real. All New Yorkers deserve healthcare. The NEW Pride Agenda is committed to building a future where all transgender and gender nonconforming people thrive.”

###

Further legal analysis on the impact of this ruling will be released in the coming days.