INDIANAPOLIS – A federal judge has granted class action certification in a lawsuit challenging Indiana’s recent ban on transition-related care for Hoosier youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
U.S. District Court Judge James Patrick Hanlon certified three classes — for minor patients, their parents, and their medical providers — plus two subclasses for patients and providers using Medicaid.
Hanlon, of the Southern District of Indiana, issued a preliminary injunction in June mostly blocking enforcement of the ban. He upheld a prohibition on surgical procedures, but court filings and public testimony at the Statehouse last year indicated Hoosier children aren’t receiving such operations.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb approved Senate Enrolled Act 480 in April 2023. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed suit almost immediately.
The plaintiffs include four transgender children, their parents, Goshen-based family practice physician Dr. Catherine Bast, and her employer Mosaic Health and Healing Arts. The defendants are Indiana’s Medical Licensing Board and a variety of state officials.
Hanlon applied a four-part case law test in making his decision which you can read more about in this Indiana Capital Chronicle article, here.
