A cultural U-turn — that’s what the Supreme Court’s recent ruling represents. By allowing Tennessee and other states to protect minors from experimental transgender medical procedures, the court struck a blow not only for common sense but for the fundamental right of states to safeguard their most vulnerable citizens.
Predictably, advocates of the trans ideology called the ruling “heartless” and “a dangerous setback” for the trans rights movement. The LGBT lobby is now turning its frustration on the former Biden administration and the ACLU for taking Tennessee to court in the first place. Why? Because they knew public scrutiny would be disastrous. Polls show that about 71% of Americans oppose experimental medical gender transition interventions for minors. The activists preferred to operate in the shadows, far from public debate. That debate has now happened — and they lost.
But something even more consequential may be unfolding. U.S. v. Skrmetti could mark the beginning of the unraveling of a much larger web of deception. This ruling doesn’t merely reflect a cultural detour. It may be the start of a national course correction. More and more Americans are tracing today’s egregious policies — from gender-neutral bathrooms and men in women’s sports to sexually explicit children’s books — back to one pivotal turning point: the redefinition of marriage.
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Many parents are now asking: What happened to the promise of “live and let live”?
This cultural U-turn didn’t happen by accident. It came through moral clarity and courageous conviction. In the aftermath of the 2015 Obergefell decision, when the Supreme Court imposed same-sex marriage on all 50 states, some recognized that this was not the end, but the beginning of a broader assault on truth. In 2017, while the trans train was gaining speed, a group of pro-family advocates, including Family Research Council, began drafting model legislation known as the SAFE (Save Adolescents From Experimentation) Act.
Teaming up with courageous lawmakers like Arkansas State Representative Robin Lundstrum, the nation’s first SAFE Act was passed in 2021— despite Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson’s veto, which was overridden. Courageous legislators in other states followed, overriding vetoes by governors like Ohio’s Mike DeWine (R). These establishment Republicans were both on the wrong side of history and truth — a bad place to be.
There were brave athletes like Riley Gaines, who stepped off the playing field and onto the cultural battlefield, facing ridicule and threats for defending fairness in women’s sports. And there were principled leaders like William Bock, who resigned from the NCAA over its morally reckless decisions and joined the legal fight for Title IX.
These voices — once isolated — sparked a movement. They gave others the strength to speak up in school board meetings, state legislatures, and city councils across the country.
Because courage breeds courage.
Now, we must pray and work to ensure this cultural U-turn becomes a permanent course correction. It must not stop with women’s sports or halting the mutilation of children. We must reclaim and rebuild the moral foundations of our society.
Let this ruling be not the end of a fight — but the beginning of a turning.
Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council and executive editor of The Washington Stand.
