The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. July 22, 2021 Federal Courts Block Anti-Trans Laws in Arkansas and West Virginia ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here in the United States, federal courts have temporarily blocked an Arkansas law banning gender confirming healthcare for transgender youth, as well as a West Virginia law banning trans student athletes. The ruling in the West Virginia case came after an 11-year-old trans student named Becky Pepper-Jackson sued the state after she was barred from trying out for the girls cross country team at her middle school. In a statement on Wednesday, Becky said, "It hurt that the State of West Virginia would try to block me from pursuing my dreams. I just want to play." .