On November 10 the Supreme Court kiboshed an opportunity to overturn the constitutional right to same-sex marriage by denying an appeal from Kim Davis. Davis, if you recall, is that troll of a county clerk from Kentucky who has been married four times and who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015 citing religious concerns. Now she’s on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and damages. The court did not provide any rational for denying Davis’ petition. Bye, Felicia!
Another recent Supreme Court ruling, however, has left Queer and trans advocates little to celebrate. On November 6 the court granted the Trump administration’s request to stall rulings by a federal judge in Massachusetts, thereby allowing the State Department (temporarily at the very least) to avoid issuing passports to transgender and nonbinary Americans that reflect their own chosen sex designations. This issue of gender and sex designations on passports has a colorful history in the courts and across multiple administrations, so be sure to check out Amy Howe’s reporting for some important context.
