Gillian Branstetter, a trans rights advocate, has watched in distress over the last year as lawmakers have eliminated fundamental protections for transgender people across the US. But last week she felt a rare moment of hope after four trans youth fought for their lives in Arkansas federal court – and won. “The courage and strength of these young people was resoundingly clear in the courtroom,” said the communications strategist at the ACLU, which persuaded a judge to permanently strike down Arkansas’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors.