My Partner Wants To Try Something Different In The Bedroom. I'm Afraid It's A Deal-Breaker.
I was so embarrassed. I didn't even know that I snored, let alone that it was loud enough to keep him up. I hate the thought that he was sitting beside me losing sleep and I didn't realize. He reassured me that this isn't an every night thing — but I'm scared we'll end up one of those couples that sleeps separately until they eventually stop 'sleeping together' at all. Plus, there's something really unsexy to me about driving him from bed with my chainsaw snores.
And more than anything, I don't want to lose what we have. I love the extra time we've always had to hold each other at night and in the mornings and the chance to talk about our days. It's my favorite part of every day. But I don't want to shoot down what my friends are calling a 'reasonable compromise' with someone I love either.
Is this something we should try or are we setting ourselves up for heartbreak and a dead bedroom?'
Reluctant Sleep Divorcée
Dear Reluctant,
While snoring is a health condition that you shouldn't ignore (your sleep matters too!), my heart breaks at the idea of anyone internalizing it as a sign that they're less sexy, desirable or lovable — or that trying out this new arrangement is at odds with being the devoted partners you've always been to one another.
Human bodies are funky noise (and smell) factories, and it's a healthy sign of intimacy and maturity for couples to give each other some grace about it. There's no amount of honk-shoo, snore-mimimi or 'chainsaw' noises that can undo a strong, loving foundation.
That said, it makes sense that the intimacy of sharing a bed with your partner is something you love, and it can be hard or even scary to imagine what 'losing' that intimacy could feel like.
What Is A 'Sleep Divorce' — And Should You Try It?
The kind of arrangement you're describing has been given the cutesy nickname 'sleep divorce' in recent years — with celebs from Carson Daly to Cameron Diaz extolling the virtues of catching solo z's or having your own separate sleeping space. There's even been a little plot shout-out to the practice on the internet's favorite least-favorite show '...And Just Like That.' (But maybe don't use the latter to guide your decisions.)
A sleep divorce isn't really as scary as it sounds. It's simply an arrangement between two people where they opt to sleep separately. Sometimes it's just utilizing the couch or a guest room, and some couples go as far as creating separate bedroom spaces entirely. But it's often for reasons just like yours: Partners who both need sleep, but might need different conditions.
'Sleep divorces often occur for practical reasons. For instance, two people may have different schedules, and it's disruptive to one person for the other to wake up before them or go to bed after them,' Suzannah Weiss, a marriage, family therapist and resident sexologist for Biird, told HuffPost. 'Or, one person might be a light sleeper and be woken up by the other's snoring. Or one person might prefer to sleep in a completely dark room, while the other wakes up more easily when the sun peeks in in the morning.'
The decision to have one is overwhelmingly a neutral one — even if it comes with a little bit of baggage or anxiety that you have to work through.
'This can feel like a big shift, especially if one partner initiates the change. Prioritizing quality sleep doesn't mean sacrificing intimacy or emotional closeness,' Ciara Bogdanovic, owner and founder at Sagebrush Psychotherapy, told HuffPost. 'A strong relationship is built on intention, not just proximity. Also, well-rested partners are often more patient, more emotionally available and more engaged with each other.'
You're On The Same Team. So Keep Talking It Out.
'Prioritizing good sleep sets your relationship up for success,' Bogdanovic said. 'As long as the couple approaches this arrangement with mutual respect and clear communication, it is a healthy choice.'
You want your partner to be well-rested, and you also want to stay intimate and close as a couple. These don't have to be adversarial goals. And you're already on the right path by having a partner who felt secure enough to come to you and share what isn't working for them.
Think about it: In a less communicative dynamic, there could easily be more unsaid words and hurt feelings. Being willing to overcome the discomfort and ask your partner, 'Hey, how can we solve this hard thing together?' is a major green flag and a sign of a good foundation.
'If one person really needs the sleep divorce for health reasons (e.g. they're not getting enough sleep in the same bed as their partner), the other should be understanding and know that there are biological reasons why some people don't sleep well next to others,' Weiss said.
Weiss also notes that it's important for the partner who is proposing the sleep divorce to be clear about their reasons to avoid misunderstandings: 'Because sleeping in separate beds is unfortunately associated with being mad at each other or breaking up, you may need to make it clear to each other that this is not what's happening.'
But the real threat of a sleep divorce? Hidden hostility and unshared feelings.
'If you do feel yourself getting annoyed with your partner because you are around each other all the time (including when you sleep), take accountability for your feelings of frustration and make sure your partner knows that you are not really mad at them; you just need more space,' Weiss said.
'If you are afraid that the sleep divorce signals that you are drifting apart, talk to your partner about that,' she added. 'A conversation can help you figure out if that is really the case — and work through the underlying issues — or if that's just a fear of yours (in which case they can offer reassurance).'
I'd also say you can share your own feelings of self-consciousness over your snoring, too. If it's a sensitive subject for you, I'm sure your partner will want to be there to reassure you about it.
Reclaim Your Rituals.
Still, there's a good chance that removing the co-sleeping might mean needing to reimagine what intimacy looks like.
In relationships, as Weiss noted, we all have our rituals: the small acts that turn the two of you into an 'us.' For some people, it's daily 'good morning' texts or cooking dinner together, and for others, it's a cuddle, a debrief before bed or a kiss at the door when you come home. If you can learn to name them and express what they mean to you, it can also help you and your partner understand each other more.
'One way to ensure that neither of you feels rejected or abandoned is by having a bedtime ritual,' Weiss said. 'You can take turns tucking each other in, brush your teeth together, or just make sure to kiss each other goodnight. You can also make a point to hug and/or kiss when you get up in the morning.'
Another idea Weiss suggested (that's actually so cute?) is to consider planning special 'sleepovers' on the nights where your partner doesn't have work and where there's opportunities for you to cuddle up and fall asleep together. Making a dedicated plan helps to show that you're still prioritizing each other and even gives you something sweet to look forward to during the week (the same can be said for scheduling sex, TBH.)
'You can also plan a date night where you'll go out, then have fun in the bedroom and fall asleep next to each other; make it sexy,' Weiss said. 'If your sleep quality is not as good when you sleep in the same bed, you can plan these nights for weekends when you have nothing to do the next day. Putting it on your calendar gives you something to look forward to and helps you both to rest assured that your connection is still strong and free from hostility.'
And don't forget to keep the lines of communication open and check-in often as you give this arrangement a go!
Here's How To Keep It Sexy, Snores And All.
The anxiety that separate beds yield dead bedrooms isn't an uncommon one. But it's also nowhere near an inevitability.
'Physical intimacy doesn't have to fade just because you're no longer sleeping in the same bed,' Bogdanovic said. 'In fact, focusing on your sex life outside of the bedroom can increase desire and emotional connection.'
Some of the best, most fulfilling sexual encounters can come from breaking out of the box of what has become routine or normal.
If your sex life has been primarily something that goes down after you've gone to bed, this could be a real opportunity to reimagine what your sex life can be when you throw out the rulebook. Take the opportunity to get creative and curious!
'Sex doesn't have to be tied to sleep. Build desire outside of the bedroom. Be flirty and build sexual energy. Examples include being touchy, teasing, compliments or sending sexy photos,' Bogdanovic adds. 'Keeping sexual energy alive outside of the bedroom helps couples stay connected, desired and emotionally attuned. It shifts sex from something that just happens to something you prioritize.'
Related...
My Adult Daughter Made A Devastating Decision — And I Know Other Parents Can Relate
It Could Be Time For A 'Sleep Divorce'
The Products To Use When You're Finally Ready To Stop Snoring, According To Experts
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CNN
9 minutes ago
- CNN
The Manhattan shooter had a previous arrest and 2 psychiatric holds, sources say. How was he able to own a gun?
Crime Gun violence Gun control Mental healthFacebookTweetLink Follow New York City's deadliest shooting in 25 years – in a state with some of the toughest gun laws in the nation – is raising questions about how a gunman with a history of mental health issues was able to obtain multiple firearms and drive undetected across several states to carry out the attack. The gunman who walked into a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday, M4 assault-style rifle in hand, and sprayed it with gunfire, had a license to carry a concealed weapon in his home state of Nevada, officials said. He also had been placed on psychiatric hold in 2022 and 2024, law enforcement sources told CNN. But that may not have necessarily prohibited him from obtaining his license in 2022 or buying firearms – depending on the circumstances of the holds, according to gun law experts. Shane Devon Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, killed four people at the 345 Park Avenue office building and injured another before he died by suicide, police said. While public health experts continue to stress that the vast majority of people experiencing mental health challenges are not violent, questions remain about the details of Tamura's psychiatric holds and if they would have shown up in a background check. The case underscores the wide gap in sharing mental health data with the federal government – an issue that can be attributed to inadequate funding to manage or require the data, as well as privacy issues, according to Thomas Chittum, former associate deputy director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Tamura had 'a documented mental health history,' according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and a previous run-in with law enforcement. Tamura was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2023 in Clark County, Nevada, after he refused to leave a Las Vegas casino after attempting to cash out about $5,000, according to a police incident report. A court database suggests a district attorney declined to pursue the case, meaning the incident wouldn't have prevented him from obtaining a gun. The case also throws private gun sales under the microscope. The AR-15 style weapon used in the shooting was legally purchased last year by the gunman's supervisor at the Vegas casino where he worked, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The supervisor then assembled it and sold it to Tamura for $1,400, the officials said, citing an interview with the supervisor who is cooperating with authorities. It's not yet clear whether the private sale between Tamura and the supervisor involved a background check. But the supervisor, who has not been named by authorities, could face legal jeopardy if the investigation reveals the firearm transfer took place in Nevada and the private sale didn't follow a state law requiring background checks for private sales, according to Warren Eller, gun violence expert and associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. As police work to uncover a motive behind the shooting, investigators are digging into Tamura's history and examining are how he obtained multiple firearms and made his way from Las Vegas to New York City with the assault rifle. A search of the gunman's car turned up a host of items, including additional ammunition, another loaded weapon, headphones potentially used for target practice, two cell phones, the antidepressant Zoloft and cannabis, a law enforcement source told CNN. A note found in the gunman's pocket claimed he had CTE, a disease linked to head trauma, one that's often associated with football players, a source told CNN. New York City's chief medical examiner's office will test Tamura's remains for CTE, an office spokesperson told CNN Tuesday. The only way to diagnose the disease is through an autopsy of the brain. As for the psychiatric holds, it's difficult to say without knowing the details whether they would have shown up in a background check or prevented Tamura from purchasing weapons, experts say. 'If you were on a 48-hour hold, if you were released at the end of that, it would not affect your ability to possess firearms under federal law,' Chittum said. Most states barely touch on the area of mental health when a person applies for a gun license due to concerns over privacy issues and stigmatizing people who have mental health issues, according to Eller. One concern, for example, is soldiers who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, might be reluctant to seek help because they fear their treatment history would deprive them of possessing firearms. 'Between the lack of funding to make sure the background check system is effective for those problems and the legal hang ups with advocacy groups who will challenge this, that's a long road ahead,' Eller said. There's a concerted effort by veterans' groups and advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union to fight against the sharing of mental health records with the National Crime Information Center and local law enforcement, which most states rely on for background checks, according to Eller. 'Groups have been combating that because simply being mentally ill doesn't mean you're mentally incompetent, nor does it mean you're a danger,' he added. However, in cases where a person was declared incompetent by a court, faced a restraining order, involuntarily committed or deemed a danger to themselves or others due to a mental illness, the federal government restricts firearm ownership and states largely follow federal law with some variations, according to Chittum. 'Even when we have someone who has a mental health issue that prohibits them under the law, the next question is whether the background check identifies that. Historically, mental health records have been some of the hardest for FBI to obtain when doing background checks,' Chittum said, adding there have been efforts to improve the availability of those records in some legislation. As New York homicide detectives work to piece together a timeline of events leading up to the deadly Manhattan attack, the way Tamura obtained the high-powered M4 rifle from an associate and whether Nevada's background check laws were violated will likely come under scrutiny. In Nevada, the private sale of a firearm between two parties requires a federal background check before the transfer is complete. Both individuals must go to a federally licensed firearm dealer, which conducts the background check on their behalf. There are limited exceptions, including firearm transfers between immediate family members, which do not require this process. If the private sale between Tamura and the supervisor did abide by the law and the facts can't prove the supervisor had any knowledge of possible disqualifiers in Tamura's history, including intended use of the firearm, then the seller likely won't be prosecuted, according to Eller and Chittum. Federal law doesn't impose any obligation on private gun sellers to identify the buyer, conduct a background check or keep any record of the sale, Chittum said. The Nevada law enforcing background checks for private sales was implemented in January 2020, closing the so-called 'gun show loophole' that gun safety advocates have long criticized as a means for bypassing records checks that can flag past criminal history. Most states conduct background checks through federally licensed dealers relying on the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), while some states like Nevada have a designated 'point of contact' system that offers access to state criminal history records. Under federal law, an unlicensed person buying a firearm directly from a gun dealer must also undergo a background check, however, those who already have a concealed carry permit – like Tamura had – may be exempt because they would have already undergone a background check to get the permit. Hours after the shooting in Manhattan, Las Vegas Police Crimestoppers received a tip from a licensed firearms dealer saying he remembered Tamura sought to buy an aftermarket trigger assembly for an M4 rifle at a Las Vegas gun show in June, a senior law enforcement official told CNN. Tamura returned the trigger assembly the next day, saying he needed the money back to buy 500 rounds of .223 ammunition – the same kind of ammunition used in the New York shooting, according to the official. The gun dealer told police Tamura came back the next day with additional funds and re-purchased the trigger assembly, the official said. Tamura's case calls attention to the 'gray area' in the federal regulation and enforcement of private sales that exists when people buy firearms for cash in a private sale, according to Eller. Because a concealed carry permit would exempt an individual for five years from a background check when buying a firearm from a licensed dealer, it creates a 'nuanced area' where a person could obtain a license to carry and then subsequently be convicted or have a mental health prohibitor and might still be able to use their card to purchase a firearm and avoid the background check, Chittum said. Some states recognize this issue and routinely run background checks on licensed holders to determine if their license is still valid, Chittum said. Red flag laws, including the one in Nevada, aim to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. But such laws are only effective if the individual demonstrated warning signs so that others can alert law enforcement and initiate the process of revoking the person's firearm, Chittum said. It's not clear if Tamura demonstrated any warning signs that would trigger the state's red flag law. The style of weapon Tamura used to slaughter four people has commonly been seen in some of the nation's deadliest mass shootings and has prompted renewed calls by progressive lawmakers for increased regulation. 'In the State of New York, you cannot buy one of these,' Gov. Kathy Hochul told CNN on Tuesday, criticizing what she said were 'much looser laws in the State of Nevada than we have here.' Hochul called on federal lawmakers to pass a national assault weapon ban that would limit access to high-powered guns like the AR-15 style rifle used in Monday's massacre and slammed GOP counterparts whom she accused of being 'intimidated by the gun lobby.' 'We need a national awakening here, people need to be talked about this once again and it shouldn't just happen in the wake of a tragedy like this,' said Hochul. CNN's Mark Morales contributed to this report.
CNN
32 minutes ago
- CNN
The Manhattan shooter had a previous arrest and 2 psychiatric holds, sources say. How was he able to own a gun?
Crime Gun violence Gun control Mental healthFacebookTweetLink Follow New York City's deadliest shooting in 25 years – in a state with some of the toughest gun laws in the nation – is raising questions about how a gunman with a history of mental health issues was able to obtain multiple firearms and drive undetected across several states to carry out the attack. The gunman who walked into a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday, M4 assault-style rifle in hand, and sprayed it with gunfire, had a license to carry a concealed weapon in his home state of Nevada, officials said. He also had been placed on psychiatric hold in 2022 and 2024, law enforcement sources told CNN. But that may not have necessarily prohibited him from obtaining his license in 2022 or buying firearms – depending on the circumstances of the holds, according to gun law experts. Shane Devon Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas, killed four people at the 345 Park Avenue office building and injured another before he died by suicide, police said. While public health experts continue to stress that the vast majority of people experiencing mental health challenges are not violent, questions remain about the details of Tamura's psychiatric holds and if they would have shown up in a background check. The case underscores the wide gap in sharing mental health data with the federal government – an issue that can be attributed to inadequate funding to manage or require the data, as well as privacy issues, according to Thomas Chittum, former associate deputy director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Tamura had 'a documented mental health history,' according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and a previous run-in with law enforcement. Tamura was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2023 in Clark County, Nevada, after he refused to leave a Las Vegas casino after attempting to cash out about $5,000, according to a police incident report. A court database suggests a district attorney declined to pursue the case, meaning the incident wouldn't have prevented him from obtaining a gun. The case also throws private gun sales under the microscope. The AR-15 style weapon used in the shooting was legally purchased last year by the gunman's supervisor at the Vegas casino where he worked, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The supervisor then assembled it and sold it to Tamura for $1,400, the officials said, citing an interview with the supervisor who is cooperating with authorities. It's not yet clear whether the private sale between Tamura and the supervisor involved a background check. But the supervisor, who has not been named by authorities, could face legal jeopardy if the investigation reveals the firearm transfer took place in Nevada and the private sale didn't follow a state law requiring background checks for private sales, according to Warren Eller, gun violence expert and associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. As police work to uncover a motive behind the shooting, investigators are digging into Tamura's history and examining are how he obtained multiple firearms and made his way from Las Vegas to New York City with the assault rifle. A search of the gunman's car turned up a host of items, including additional ammunition, another loaded weapon, headphones potentially used for target practice, two cell phones, the antidepressant Zoloft and cannabis, a law enforcement source told CNN. A note found in the gunman's pocket claimed he had CTE, a disease linked to head trauma, one that's often associated with football players, a source told CNN. New York City's chief medical examiner's office will test Tamura's remains for CTE, an office spokesperson told CNN Tuesday. The only way to diagnose the disease is through an autopsy of the brain. As for the psychiatric holds, it's difficult to say without knowing the details whether they would have shown up in a background check or prevented Tamura from purchasing weapons, experts say. 'If you were on a 48-hour hold, if you were released at the end of that, it would not affect your ability to possess firearms under federal law,' Chittum said. Most states barely touch on the area of mental health when a person applies for a gun license due to concerns over privacy issues and stigmatizing people who have mental health issues, according to Eller. One concern, for example, is soldiers who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, might be reluctant to seek help because they fear their treatment history would deprive them of possessing firearms. 'Between the lack of funding to make sure the background check system is effective for those problems and the legal hang ups with advocacy groups who will challenge this, that's a long road ahead,' Eller said. There's a concerted effort by veterans' groups and advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union to fight against the sharing of mental health records with the National Crime Information Center and local law enforcement, which most states rely on for background checks, according to Eller. 'Groups have been combating that because simply being mentally ill doesn't mean you're mentally incompetent, nor does it mean you're a danger,' he added. However, in cases where a person was declared incompetent by a court, faced a restraining order, involuntarily committed or deemed a danger to themselves or others due to a mental illness, the federal government restricts firearm ownership and states largely follow federal law with some variations, according to Chittum. 'Even when we have someone who has a mental health issue that prohibits them under the law, the next question is whether the background check identifies that. Historically, mental health records have been some of the hardest for FBI to obtain when doing background checks,' Chittum said, adding there have been efforts to improve the availability of those records in some legislation. As New York homicide detectives work to piece together a timeline of events leading up to the deadly Manhattan attack, the way Tamura obtained the high-powered M4 rifle from an associate and whether Nevada's background check laws were violated will likely come under scrutiny. In Nevada, the private sale of a firearm between two parties requires a federal background check before the transfer is complete. Both individuals must go to a federally licensed firearm dealer, which conducts the background check on their behalf. There are limited exceptions, including firearm transfers between immediate family members, which do not require this process. If the private sale between Tamura and the supervisor did abide by the law and the facts can't prove the supervisor had any knowledge of possible disqualifiers in Tamura's history, including intended use of the firearm, then the seller likely won't be prosecuted, according to Eller and Chittum. Federal law doesn't impose any obligation on private gun sellers to identify the buyer, conduct a background check or keep any record of the sale, Chittum said. The Nevada law enforcing background checks for private sales was implemented in January 2020, closing the so-called 'gun show loophole' that gun safety advocates have long criticized as a means for bypassing records checks that can flag past criminal history. Most states conduct background checks through federally licensed dealers relying on the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), while some states like Nevada have a designated 'point of contact' system that offers access to state criminal history records. Under federal law, an unlicensed person buying a firearm directly from a gun dealer must also undergo a background check, however, those who already have a concealed carry permit – like Tamura had – may be exempt because they would have already undergone a background check to get the permit. Hours after the shooting in Manhattan, Las Vegas Police Crimestoppers received a tip from a licensed firearms dealer saying he remembered Tamura sought to buy an aftermarket trigger assembly for an M4 rifle at a Las Vegas gun show in June, a senior law enforcement official told CNN. Tamura returned the trigger assembly the next day, saying he needed the money back to buy 500 rounds of .223 ammunition – the same kind of ammunition used in the New York shooting, according to the official. The gun dealer told police Tamura came back the next day with additional funds and re-purchased the trigger assembly, the official said. Tamura's case calls attention to the 'gray area' in the federal regulation and enforcement of private sales that exists when people buy firearms for cash in a private sale, according to Eller. Because a concealed carry permit would exempt an individual for five years from a background check when buying a firearm from a licensed dealer, it creates a 'nuanced area' where a person could obtain a license to carry and then subsequently be convicted or have a mental health prohibitor and might still be able to use their card to purchase a firearm and avoid the background check, Chittum said. Some states recognize this issue and routinely run background checks on licensed holders to determine if their license is still valid, Chittum said. Red flag laws, including the one in Nevada, aim to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. But such laws are only effective if the individual demonstrated warning signs so that others can alert law enforcement and initiate the process of revoking the person's firearm, Chittum said. It's not clear if Tamura demonstrated any warning signs that would trigger the state's red flag law. The style of weapon Tamura used to slaughter four people has commonly been seen in some of the nation's deadliest mass shootings and has prompted renewed calls by progressive lawmakers for increased regulation. 'In the State of New York, you cannot buy one of these,' Gov. Kathy Hochul told CNN on Tuesday, criticizing what she said were 'much looser laws in the State of Nevada than we have here.' Hochul called on federal lawmakers to pass a national assault weapon ban that would limit access to high-powered guns like the AR-15 style rifle used in Monday's massacre and slammed GOP counterparts whom she accused of being 'intimidated by the gun lobby.' 'We need a national awakening here, people need to be talked about this once again and it shouldn't just happen in the wake of a tragedy like this,' said Hochul. CNN's Mark Morales contributed to this report.
Washington Post
32 minutes ago
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States sue Trump administration over access to care for transgender youths
A coalition of more than a dozen states sued the Trump administration on Friday over health care for transgender young people, claiming the White House has 'relentlessly, cruelly, and unlawfully targeted transgender individuals' since President Donald Trump took office. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, seeks to have part of one executive order issued in January declared unconstitutional. The order targets gender-affirming care provided to people under the age of 19, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical procedures, which it refers to as 'mutilation.' The lawsuit also asks the court to declare unlawful the Justice Department's targeting of providers of gender-affirming care. The section of the order that is being challenged directs the Justice Department to use laws such as the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, those against female genital mutilation, and child custody legislation to carry out the administration's aims. 'It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called 'transition' of a child from one sex to another,' Trump's order says, calling the treatments 'a stain on our Nation's history.' The states of Massachusetts, California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia and Josh Shapiro in his capacity as Pennsylvania governor, filed suit. The lawsuit, filed against Trump, the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi, argues that the executive order conflicts with states' remit to regulate and police medicine and violates the 10th Amendment, which protects states' powers, and is in conflict with many state antidiscrimination laws. Nearly every major medical association endorses the availability of gender-affirming care for transgender young people, citing reductions in depression, substance abuse and suicide attempts. 'Empirical evidence has demonstrated that trans and nonbinary gender identities are normal variations of human identity and expression,' the American Medical Association has said. But the issue, and others related to transgender people, has animated conservatives. Trump has said he wants the 'official policy of the United States' to be that there are only two genders and has referred to being transgender as a 'falsehood.' The administration has moved to ban transgender service members from the military, relocate incarcerated transgender women into men's prisons and bar transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity in federal buildings, among a slew of anti-trans measures, many of which have been challenged in court. After the January order, the lawsuit says, the Justice Department began 'intimidating providers into ceasing care through threats of civil and criminal prosecution.' 'These threats have no basis in law,' the complaint says. 'No federal law prohibits, much less criminalizes, the provision or receipt of gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents.' Puberty blockers temporarily inhibit sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, and other hormone therapies introduce them to the body. Gender-affirming surgeries, such as breast reductions for transgender men, are rarely performed on minors. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in an email that 'everyday Americans resoundingly support' the administration's actions. 'The President has the lawful authority to protect America's vulnerable children through executive action, and the Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on this issue,' she added. In June, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on gender-affirming care for minors in Tennessee.
