The issue of transgender rights has rarely been so prominent in American politics, from presidential campaign ads to the election of the first openly trans member of Congress to arguments this past week at the U.S. Supreme Court.

William Brangham is back to talk with one recent pioneer about how she sees this current moment.

My guest is no stranger to both the triumphs and the vitriol surrounding transgender rights

in America.

Two years ago, Lee Finkie became the first trans person elected to the Minnesota state legislature.

And even though she endured numerous threats, she leveraged her position and a Democratic

majority to help pass legislation

protecting other trans people in her state. Lee Finkie is so nice to have you on the program.

As I said, you've been in office almost two years now, but this is a seemingly very fraught time

for trans rights in this country. With this past election and all of those attacks,

the first openly trans member of the U.S. Congress, and now the Supreme Court case this week.

I just wonder how this has this been for you the last few months. Yeah, it's been a lot. And, you know,

thank you so much for inviting me and for having trans voices on your show.

I think what we have seen over the last couple of months, I mean, it is a compounding pile of difficulty for a community that is very small, that we've received so much outsized attention, given the impact and size that we have in the communities that we exist

in, we're struggling. We're all struggling and trying to figure out what all of this is going to mean.

You were here while the Supreme Court was arguing this case. That case centered around Tennessee's

attempt to ban trans care for trans children.

And the justices had a lot of different arguments about that case.

And I wonder, listening to what they had to say, what stood out to you?

I mean, what stood out to me is that we are trying to figure out a very complicated answer to a very simple question,

which is that gender affirming care is health care, and health care decisions belong to families

and doctors, and they do not belong to politicians or the courts. We do not do this for other forms

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