Elliot Page and Lilly Wachowski have joined a lawsuit aiming to overturn a law that limits healthcare access for trans youth in Arkansas.
House Bill 1570, a first-in-the-nation law, prevents doctors and medical officials from giving transgender youth necessary treatment and referring them to gender-affirming care.
It was passed in March 2021 when the Republican-controlled Arkansas legislature chose to override governor Asa Hutchinson’s initial veto of it.
However, a federal judge blocked it going into effect in August of that year after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed its lawsuit on behalf of four families of transgender youth, as well as two doctors.
As part of a lawsuit, a group of more than 50 notable transgender Americans filed an amicus brief on 19 January in support of overturning the law.
Among them is Wachowski, a prominent director best known for her work on The Matrix, who explained how important it is to allow young transgender people to live as their true selves.
“When I started living as my true self, I would sometimes catch short sharp glimpses of my reflection in windows and cars as I’d walk along or ride my bike,” she said in the filing. “It would make my heart skip a beat. The silhouette of my shadow on the ground cast by the afternoon sun was exhilarating and life affirming.”
Page, a well known actor who came out as transgender in 2021, stated that access to medical care is fundamental.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of energy I had, ideas, how my imagination flourished, because the constant discomfort and pain around that aspect of my body was gone,” he commented.
The brief was one of many filed that day, with others from a coalition of 21 states and medical groups (among others) also being submitted.
Chris Mosier, a professional triathlete, wrote about his experience of racing for the first time after having surgery.
He added: “The feeling of being able to run freely in a body that more closely matched the way I’ve always seen myself was overwhelming.”
Latest
