Keeton v. Crabtree et al

On August 15, 2024, a federal lawsuit was filed in South Carolina challenging a state law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The plaintiffs, 14-year-old transgender boy Riley Keeton and his parents Melissa and Matthew Keeton, sued Dr. Adam Crabtree, chairman of the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, and Attorney General Alan Wilson. Represented by Lambda Legal and the ACLU, they argue the ban violates the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause by discriminating on the basis of sex and transgender status, and by interfering with fundamental parental rights to make medical decisions. The law, which threatens healthcare providers with professional discipline, was scheduled to take effect shortly after the filing.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, on August 23, 2024, U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis granted a temporary restraining order, blocking enforcement of the ban while the court considers a motion for a preliminary injunction. A final ruling on the merits remains pending.

Whether South Carolina's ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors unconstitutionally discriminates based on sex and transgender status, and whether it infringes on parents' fundamental rights under the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

The case is part of a nationwide wave of litigation over state bans on gender-affirming care for minors. It highlights the deep societal and legal divide on transgender rights, influencing similar challenges across multiple states and affecting access to medical care for transgender youth and their families.