Clifford Geertz once observed that law is a way of “imagining the real,” that it offers “visions of community” rather than “echoes of it.” If so, then the gender debates represent more than clashes between interest groups. At stake: what do we think is real?
This special edition presents some of the papers given at a recent colloquium on U.S. v. Skrmetti, which was decided by the Supreme Court on June 18, 2025. The case concerns a Tennessee law prohibiting the use of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones on children. The Supreme Court's upholding of this law has profound implications.
Articles
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The Disappointment of Skrmetti by Gerard V. Bradley
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Supreme Confusion: The Supreme Court “Does” Transgenderism by Hadley Arkes
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Setting the Terms of the Debate: How Trans Activists Shape Judicial Language by Kathleen Barceleau
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Skrmetti and the Pathologization of Sex by David S. Crawford
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The Feminist Roots of Transgenderism by Margaret Harper McCarthy
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Transgender Theory and Post-Political Order by Michael Hanby
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Can Transitioning Be Healthcare? A Reflection on Sex as Symbol by D. C. Schindler
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The Legal and Cultural Context of Skrmetti by John Bursch