Below are summaries of two U.S. Supreme Court cases that affect the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.
Orr v. Trump (AKA the “passport case”) – A recently expanded injunction (as of June 2025) issued by a federal judge in Massachusetts has paused enforcement of the Trump administration policy requiring a person’s sex designation at birth to be listed on their passport. This means that moving forward, a passport with a sex designation that aligns with one’s gender identity or with an “X” sex designation should be made available to anyone applying to:
- Obtain a new passport,
- Change the sex designation or update their name on their current passport,
- Replace a lost, stolen, or damaged, passport, or
- Renew their passport within one year of its expiration.
This applies to those individuals who, under the Trump administration’s policy, were previously sent a passport with a sex designation listing their sex assigned at birth after applying for a new, renewed, or replaced passport, and/or a changed name or gender marker.
At this point, however, we do not know how quickly the court injunction will be implemented.
U.S. v. Skrmetti – In a recent 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender affirming care for transgender people under the age of 18. While a devastating loss for those in Tennessee, the ruling does not directly affect our state. Here in Rhode Island, we have our own protections and therefore this decision will not affect the ability for individuals seeking care in Rhode Island from receiving it.
Just last year, the RI Legislature passed the “Health Care Provider Shield Act,” preventing healthcare providers in Rhode Island who provide care to out-of-state patients seeking abortion and transgender health services from being prosecuted criminally by states that have banned these procedures.
Updated June 23, 2025. As more details are provided, we will be updating our website with new information on both of these cases.
