ACLU Supporter, 10 years ago today, I was standing outside the Supreme Court when they legalized marriage for same-sex couples across the country in the landmark decision Obergefell v. Hodges.

Surrounded by families and couples on the steps, I thought about my younger self who could never have imagined a life and a future as a queer adult. Today, my child's generation cannot even fathom that same-sex couples could not marry in many states when they were born.

But with every step towards a more equal and just future, we see fierce backlash from those afraid of progress.

Immediately following the decision in Obergefell, opponents of LGBTQ equality ramped up their attacks – attacks that quickly turned to singling out and targeting transgender people.

We've spent the past decade meeting these attacks head-on, fighting off over a thousand bills in Congress and statehouses that come for our rights. And when these attacks escalated, we went to the Supreme Court and argued in front of the justices that attacks on trans health care are harmful, discriminatory, and deeply unconstitutional.

Last week, the Supreme Court refused to protect trans youth in U.S. v. Skrmetti – a devastating ruling that upheld discriminatory state bans that put politicians between families and their doctors. These bans force families to uproot their lives to take care of their kids and harm trans adolescents across the country. The Skrmetti ruling is a blow in the fight for LGBTQ equality.

But I remember the fight before the Obergefell ruling. I remember what it was like seeing state after state ban marriage for same-sex couples – I remember when victory felt like an impossibility. And I know that now, just like then, we've got an entire community of advocates who will keep up the fight until trans people have the same freedom to be ourselves as everyone else.

We will win the fight for trans rights, just like we won the right to marriage equality a decade ago. We should not have to fight for the freedom to exist – but as long as we do, I will. On the anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, I reflected on what we can learn from the fight for marriage equality – and what's next in the fight for trans rights. I hope you'll give it a read.

Trans and nonbinary people have always been here and we always will be. Our resistance – our joy – is unstoppable, and no court ruling will ever deter our fight. Thanks for staying in this fight with me.

Onward together,

Chase Strangio
Pronouns: He, him, his
Co-Director, ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project