The case is a bitter reminder of the ways LGBTQ people have had their identities weaponized by the courts in the past, most notoriously through a legal defense tactic known as gay or trans “panic.”

She also said she would not change the youth HRT and puberty blocker ban in South Carolina.

Nearly 12,000 books were banned in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, according to PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.