Federal rules follow you no matter which state you live in. Here is what Washington has done, whether courts have stopped it, and who it touches.
In force
Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) is still the law. In Nov. 2025 the Supreme Court declined Kim Davis's request to revisit it. The Respect for Marriage Act (2022) also requires every state to recognize marriages performed in other states. A new challenge is working its way up from Texas.
In force
Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) means employers with 15 or more workers cannot fire you for being gay or transgender under federal law. Some states are trying to narrow it for smaller employers.
In force
Federal hate crime law has covered sexual orientation and gender identity since 2009. Alabama's state law does not.
| Action | What it does | Status in court | Who it touches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order 14168 |
Federal government recognizes only two sexes, fixed at birth. Directs agencies to drop gender identity from documents, programs and funding. | Pieces are in separate lawsuits. Some funding cuts tied to it are blocked; others are in effect. | Everyone who deals with a federal agency, especially trans and nonbinary people. |
| Passport sex markers | New passports show sex assigned at birth. No "X" marker. | In effect. Supreme Court allowed it Nov. 2025. The First Circuit wiped the injunction in June 2026; case continues with no order limiting the policy. | Trans and nonbinary people applying for or renewing passports. |
| Military service | Bars transgender people from serving. | In effect. | Trans service members and recruits. |
| Medicaid and CHIP rule |
No federal Medicaid or CHIP money for puberty blockers, hormones or surgery for minors. | Takes effect Oct. 13, 2026. | Trans youth on Medicaid or CHIP and their providers. Explainer |
| HHS declaration on youth care |
Says gender-affirming care for minors is not legitimate medicine and threatens to drop providers from Medicare and Medicaid. | Blocked in the states that sued. A judge ruled HHS cannot invent standards of care. Alabama was not among them. | Hospitals and clinics that serve trans youth. |
| Federal employee health plans | FEHB plans stopped covering gender-affirming care at any age for plan year 2026, with narrow exceptions. | In effect. | Federal workers, retirees and their families. |
| ACA Section 1557 | HHS is not enforcing the rule that barred health care discrimination against trans people. | Not enforced. | Trans patients denied care or coverage. |
| U.S. v. Skrmetti |
Supreme Court upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. | Final. | Makes similar state bans, including Alabama's, much harder to challenge. |
Want the full legal detail? The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and Gender Justice League track every case, and KFF tracks the health rules.
Want to take action? PFLAG's advocacy page (an advocacy group) explains executive orders in plain language, wraps up each state legislative session, and offers alerts and quick advocacy tools.