Defending Education, Manhattan Institute and Dr. Leor Sapir File an Amicus Brief in Regino v. Blake

Today, Defending Education, together with the Manhattan Institute and Dr. Leor Sapir filed an amicus brief in Regino v. Blake, a case on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which is hearing yet another constitutional challenge to a school district’s gender secrecy policy.  The initial lawsuit was filed by California mom Aurora Regino in 2023 after discovering her fifth-grade daughter was being socially transitioned behind her back. After the trial court dismissed her claim, Regino is now asking the appellate court to find that her constitutional right to direct her child’s upbringing and education was violated. DE, the Manhattan Institute, and Dr. Sapir have argued in their brief that social transitions constitute a mental health intervention for children who would otherwise drop their adopted gender identity before adulthood. They argue that extensive worldwide medical evidence indicates that social transition has significant medical implications for children, that transgender identity in both children and adults is unstable, and that certain federal courts have already recognized social transition as a medical intervention.

This case is one of national significance, and of increasing frequency. Defending Education is committed to halting this policies nationwide, and we are hopeful that the Ninth Circuit will bring desperately needed relief to Aurora Regino.