'Heightened Scrutiny' details the high-stakes Supreme Court case over trans health care

The new documentary "Heightened Scrutiny" follows ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio as he argues before the Supreme Court against Tennessee’s ban on transgender care for minors.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision in the next few weeks in a high-stakes case that could affect transgender people’s access to transition-related care nationwide.

The case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, concerns a law in Tennessee that prohibits certain care for minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, and whether the restrictions are discriminatory on the basis of sex and transgender status.

A new documentary, “Heightened Scrutiny,” follows Chase Strangio, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney, as he represents trans youth, their families and a doctor who filed suit against the law in April 2023. Strangio became the first openly trans person to argue in front of the Supreme Court during oral arguments in December. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will show at NewFest, a queer film festival in New York, on May 29, and then at other film festivals across the country.

The film’s director, Sam Feder, said it is a follow-up to another documentary he directed called “Disclosure,” which was released in 2020 and evaluated how trans people are depicted in film and television.

“The motivation to make that film was to explore how the rise in visibility could lead to backlash,” Feder said. “I did not know it would be as terrifying as it is now.”