Challenges to Alabama’s Ban on Youth Gender Transition Procedures Withdrawn

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a decisive legal win in Boe v. Marshall on Thursday, May 1. The high-profile case has attracted national attention due to its subject—the State’s ban on gender-transition procedures for minors. Plaintiffs in the case, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), voluntarily withdrew their challenge to the law, effectively ending the legal battle and allowing Alabama’s legislation to stand.

The law in question—the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act—prohibits medical professionals from providing minors with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender-transition surgeries. Originally passed in April 2022, the law was blocked by a federal district court shortly thereafter. That injunction was later lifted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in August 2023, permitting enforcement to resume.

Attorney General Marshall hailed the case’s conclusion as a watershed moment for the state and the broader national debate over pediatric gender medicine.

“We uncovered the truth. We exposed the scandal. We won. Alabama led the way, and now all families are safer for it,” Marshall said in a statement.

In a press release, Marshall accused major medical organizations of misleading the public about the science behind gender-transition treatments for minors. He said that discovery in the case revealed internal documents showing that purported standards of care were influenced more by legal and political considerations than by robust scientific consensus.

“What we found was devastating to the plaintiffs’ challenge: a medical, legal, and political scandal that will be studied for decades,” Marshall added. “Given the evidence we uncovered, it is no surprise the plaintiffs abandoned their challenge.”

According to Marshall’s office, discovery revealed that some professional associations promoted gender-transition procedures as settled science despite limited long-term data and increasing skepticism from international health bodies. The investigation allegedly uncovered communications showing that legal and activist groups shaped treatment guidelines to bolster litigation, rather than reflect best medical practices.

The Attorney General’s Office has also filed legal briefs supporting similar laws in other states, including Tennessee. In the Tennessee case—United States v. Skrmetti—Marshall submitted evidence from the Boe litigation to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to issue a ruling in the near future. The withdrawal of the challenge in Boe v. Marshall came before the high court could weigh in.

“This victory is not just for Alabama. This is a generational win for children, for families, and for reality itself,” said Marshall. “Alabama refused to be bullied. Now the rest of the country is seeing the truth. We are proud to lead that effort.”

Critics of the law argue that such bans infringe on parental rights and medical freedom. The ACLU, SPLC, and other advocacy groups had fought the statute for years, claiming it would harm transgender youth and criminalize doctors providing care in line with their professional judgment.

Supporters of the law have cited numerous studies, most notably 2024’s Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People (aka the Cass Review), as evidence that the data supporting gender-altering treatments is “remarkably weak.” Others have pointed out the high comorbidity of gender dysphoria with autism, severe personality dysfunction in mothers of gender dysphoric boys, high rate of spontaneous resolution of gender dysphoria/confusion, significant likelihood that gender dysphoria is a socially contagious condition (the study was retracted following a significant outcry but is still available online), stories from detransitioners themselves, and that treatments for gender dysphoria present “a perfect storm environment for the placebo effect.”

The full history and legal filings related to Boe v. Marshall are available on the Attorney General’s website HERE.