IDAHO, USA — An Idaho district judge has narrowly expanded a pause on a new law that bans public money from being used for transgender health care. House Bill 668, "ensures taxpayer dollars are not used to provide medical treatment or surgeries for the purpose of changing the appearance of a person's sex in a way that is not consistent with their biological sex."
A group of inmates at the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC), filed a lawsuit saying the law greatly impacts their medical care for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, they say the serious medical condition they deal with is characterized by clinically significant distress resulting from the reality of a conflict between a person's gender identity and sex designated at birth.
A district judge previously paused the law, but only for the named plaintiffs; the inmates.
That pause on the law now extends to all incarcerated persons in the custody of IDOC who have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, were receiving hormone therapy, and whose hormone therapy was tapered or discontinued as a result of the new law.
So, the law is only paused for that very specific group, the judge says the U.S. Supreme Court let them know that universal injunctions are disfavored.
The court wants to be clear; they are just getting back to the status quo for this group, the ruling specifically states the court does not validate or invalidate the statute, it has merely paused it as the entire court process continues.
