Washington DC - The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched a new challenge to Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender and non-binary youth.

The DOJ filed a complaint on Wednesday arguing that Tennessee's gender-affirming care ban violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

The department has also requested an immediate order to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1.

Tennessee's SB 1, which was signed into law in March by Republican Governor Bill Lee, blocks health care providers from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones and from performing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 18.

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"SB 1’s blanket ban prohibits potential treatment options that have been recommended by major medical associations for consideration in limited circumstances in accordance with established and comprehensive guidelines and standards of care," the DOJ explained in a press release.

"By denying only transgender youth access to these forms of medically necessary care while allowing non-transgender minors access to the same or similar procedures, SB 1 discriminates against transgender youth."

"The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department will continue to aggressively challenge all forms of discrimination and unlawful barriers faced by the LGBTQI+ community," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke affirmed.