Two Truths in Tension: When Law Meets the Transgender Experience

Prior to 2021, the State of Oklahoma allowed transgender individuals to change the sex on their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity after transition. In 2021, as a wave of anti-trans sentiment spread across many conservative states, Governor Kevin Stitt signed an Executive Order barring the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) from amending the sex of any individual on their birth certificates. Rowan Fowler, a transgender woman who had been affected by the Order, joined with several other similarly situated individuals to sue the Governor, on the grounds that his order violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of Equal Protection. After losing in the District Court, and winning on appeal at the Tenth Circuit, Fowler and her fellow litigants now face one final legal hurdle at the Supreme Court. What merit is there to her Equal Protection claim?

Columns, OpinionAndy GongMay 15, 2025Opinion, Columns, Supreme Court, Transgender Legislation, Gender RightsComment

A New Hijab Bill For Iranian Women Means More Restrictions for a Historically Repressed Demographic

The bill, known as the Culture of Chastity and Hijab Bill, allows up to 10 years of jail time as punishment for women who choose not to wear the hijab or abide by Islamic dress code. Additionally, the bill permits flogging, fines of up to 360 million Iranian rials, and restrictions on travel and online access for women accused and convicted.