If the Supreme Court agrees with the Sixth Circuit’s approach, courts going forward will apply the lowest level of scrutiny to gender-care bans. The result, says Jess Braverman, legal director at the advocacy group Gender Justice, would be “like a rubber stamp.”

For a brief moment on December 4, trans people will have the full force of the U.S. government behind them at the Supreme Court. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, considered one of the most dazzling oral advocates of her generation, will stand before the justices to argue for their rights.

For Chase Strangio, the professional path that’s led to this moment – in which he’ll have 15 minutes to present an argument defending gender-affirming care for trans youth before the Supreme Court – cannot be unwoven from his life outside the courtroom.