How a single U.S. Supreme Court case could shape life for transgender Americans [Video]

The highest court in the United States is set to decide whether a statewide ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional. The landmark case could have major consequences for transgender people across the country — and not just when it comes to their health care.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is the case about?

The case, United States v. Skrmetti, centres around a law in Tennessee that bans gender-affirming medical care for minors under 18 — treatments like puberty-delaying medication, hormone therapy and surgeries to treat gender dysphoria, which is the distressing feeling people experience when their gender identity isn’t the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.

Under the Tennessee law, which passed last year, medical providers who administer those treatments can be sued, fined or otherwise professionally punished.

What is the court deciding?

The justices are being asked to rule on whether the Tennessee law violates the U.S. Constitution — specifically the equal protection …