North Dakota
Gender-affirming care for minors hangs in balance as North Dakota trial begins
BISMARCK — A court in Bismarck on Monday, Jan. 27 kicked off a trial to decide the fate of North Dakota’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
The law, signed by former Gov. Doug Burgum in 2023, makes it a crime for health care professionals to provide gender-affirming treatment to anyone below age 18. The ban contains an exemption for adolescents who had been receiving treatment before it went into effect.
Over the course of the trial, anticipated to take eight days, attorneys will debate whether the law violates personal autonomy and equal protection rights under the state constitution.
The lawsuit is brought by North Dakota pediatric endocrinologist Luis Casas, who is challenging the ban on behalf of himself and his patients.
“This case is not as complicated as it may seem,” Brittany Stewart, an attorney for Gender Justice, said in her opening statement. “All North Dakotans have a right to personal autonomy to make decisions about the health care they need or don’t need to live happy, healthy lives as their authentic selves.”
Previously, the plaintiffs also included three North Dakota families with transgender children. South Central Judicial District Judge Jackson Lofgren
ruled earlier this month
that the families did not have standing to participate in the case because their children were receiving gender-affirming care before the law took effect, and therefore do not fall under the ban.
The families will still testify as witnesses for the plaintiffs.
Doctors and others with expertise providing care to transgender youth, including Casas, also will be called to the witness stand.
The state says the science behind gender-affirming care is not settled and that the ban is needed to protect children.
“The health care law is a constitutional regulation of practice in medicine, in the area of medical uncertainty,” Special Assistant Attorney General Joseph Quinn said in his opening statement for the state. “This is something that the Legislature has the power to do, has the right to do and it has the responsibility to do.”
Experts called by the state will testify that the standards of care are based on emerging, low-quality evidence, Quinn said.
On Monday, one of the children of the three former plaintiff families testified about his experience receiving gender-affirming care in North Dakota. The seventh grader testified under the pseudonym James Doe to protect his identity.
Doe said that today, he lives as a typical 13-year-old. He enjoys spending time with friends, plays football and is a part of the school band.
He knew he was transgender from age 4 or 5, he said.
“I kinda felt more like a boy. I liked Legos more than Barbies, more of my friends were boys,” Doe said.
Though many of his peers accepted him as a boy in elementary school, there were ways his school did not accommodate him. He had accidents because teachers wouldn’t let him use the boys restroom, for example.
After coming out to his family as transgender, he started attending therapy to help with his gender dysphoria, he said.
At age 10, Doe was referred to Casas to discuss gender-affirming treatment. He said that Casas had him wait six months to start puberty blockers.
“He made me go home to think about what I really wanted,” he said.
Doe said he started testosterone treatment at age 13. Similarly, he said Casas urged him and his family to think seriously about the treatment before pursuing it.
“It’s helped me become more comfortable with myself,” Doe said of the treatment. “Medication really makes me who I am today.”
He said he’s had to travel to Moorhead, Minnesota, to receive the treatment from Casas, which has caused him to miss school, extracurriculars and time with friends.
Most of Monday morning and afternoon, the court heard from Daniel Shumer, a pediatric endocrinologist and clinical associate professor of pediatrics for the University of Michigan.
Research indicates that transgender youth who start gender-affirming treatment during the early phases of puberty are happier and healthier than those who start gender-affirming treatment after puberty or during adulthood, he testified.
The way puberty affects the body is significant and irreversible, so being forced to undergo puberty in a way that clashes with their gender identity can be devastating to transgender adolescents, Shumer said.
“It may be nice to say that these are decisions that are best left for adults. The truth of the matter is that puberty happens during adolescence,” he said. “A young person with gender dysphoria is going through a period of time where their body is changing in a permanent way, in a manner that’s opposite to how they know themselves.”
Gender-affirming surgical procedures aren’t performed on adolescents in North Dakota. Shumer also testified that pediatric endocrinologists only prescribe puberty blockers and hormone therapy to adolescents with gender dysphoria, not pre-pubescent minors.
In his questioning of Shumer, Quinn sought to establish that experts have different opinions on
the efficacy of gender-affirming care and whether the risks of providing the medical treatment to adolescents outweigh the benefits. Quinn pointed to several articles where researchers urged caution on the administration of gender-affirming treatment to minors, and called for additional study of the topic.
Quinn asked Shumer if he is aware of any discourse over the legitimacy of the use of gender-affirming medical treatments to treat gender dysphoria.
“Certainly in state courtrooms in the last couple of years,” Shumer replied, though he maintained that the field of pediatric endocrinology has accepted the procedures as valid.
Shumer said that there is a consensus among leading medical associations that hormone therapy is safe and effective to treat gender dysphoria. He also said that the standards of care pediatric endocrinologists use to guide the treatment of adolescents with gender dysphoria are developed based on a review of clinical data.
The state before opening statements asked Lofgren to not allow the former plaintiff families to testify at the trial. Special Assistant Attorney General Daniel Gaustad argued the personal testimony of a few families is not relevant to whether the text of the law is constitutional.
Lofgren denied the request.
Prichard spared from subpoena
The plaintiffs initially had subpoenaed former Rep. Brandon Prichard, a sponsor of the ban during the 2023 session, to testify in the trial. Lofgren on Monday granted a request from the state to block the subpoena because the North Dakota Constitution protects lawmakers from being questioned about their legislative work in court.
Prichard, a Republican who represented the Bismarck area in the state Legislature until losing reelection last year, in a statement to the North Dakota Monitor said he is happy he will no longer be appearing in court, and that he hopes the health care law will stand.
“The trial is over a narrow set of facts and my testimony wouldn’t have provided anything new from what I already discussed in the deposition,” Prichard said. “My expectation was for the plaintiff’s legal team to treat me hostile and try to dig into my time as a legislator, which is privileged.”
Court records show that in a deposition, Prichard said he believes transgender people are “choosing against God.” He also said he suspects scientific research that suggested gender-affirming care is a safe and effective treatment for adolescents with gender dysphoria is fabricated by LGBTQ rights groups.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs have
told the court previously
that even minors who fall under the law’s exemption cannot access gender-affirming care in North Dakota, since medical providers are uncertain how to interpret the law.
The trial is a bench trial, which means Lofgren will issue a verdict.
This story was originally published on NorthDakotaMonitor.com
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Vernon Dale Krause, 93, of Fargo, ND, formerly of Wahpeton, ND, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 10, 2026, at Heather’s House in Fargo, ND, under the care of HIA Hospice.
A Celebration of life will be held on Monday, July 20, 2026, at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., followed by a service at 10:00 a.m., with burial immediately following at Fairview Cemetery in Wahpeton.
Vern was born on February 16, 1933, in rural Wyndmere, ND, one of eleven children born to Theodore and Ella (Rohl) Krause. He grew up in Wyndmere and attended Wyndmere Public School, where he left his studies behind to volunteer for the United States Army. Vern proudly served from 1953 to 1956 before transferring to the Army Reserves. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and, throughout his life, carried great pride in his years of military service.
He married Jean (Carey) Krause, and together they built a life and raised their family in Wahpeton, where he would spend most of his years. They were blessed with two children. In his later years, after developing severe dementia, Vernon moved to Fargo so he could receive the care he needed and be closer to family.
For 41 years, he worked for the City of Wahpeton Water & Sewer Department, where he was highly regarded and known for knowing every inch of the city like the back of his hand. Even after retirement, he continued to volunteer his time and expertise whenever the City needed him. Among the accomplishments he was most proud of were his early years helping develop the Chahinkapa Zoo.
Above all, he cherished his family. He loved anything to do with his grandchildren — from crafting chairs out of tree trunks and splitting wood, to watching their sporting events and helping them grow into who they were meant to be. His great-grandchildren were a true blessing to him — even if their energy made him a little nervous, he always looked forward to their visits. His nieces and nephews brought him great joy as well especially in his later years and he loved being an uncle to them. When his brother Leyone “Spud” moved to town, Vern couldn’t wait to deliver him the daily newspaper and share a chat. He loved tinkering in the garage, always engineering new ways to drain water, and he was the biggest Green Bay Packers fan around — proud to call himself a team shareholder. After moving to Fargo, Vernon was grateful for the time he was able to spend with his sister, Carole Jean, who had always been his protector.
Vernon will be remembered for his steady hands, his quiet devotion to family and community, and the example he set of showing up — for his country, for his city, and most of all, for the people he loved. He will be deeply missed.
Vern is survived by his son, Mark Krause, Fargo; two sisters-in-law, Priscilla Krause and Donna Krause; two brothers-in-law, Ron Carey and Don Carey; eight grandchildren, Carey, Danielle, Margo, Jodi, Nikki, Kevin, Brad and Tracee; 13 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Jean Krause; his daughter, Deb Christopher; five brothers, Alfred, Donald, Willard, Kenneth and Leyone Krause; five sisters, Dorothy Peterson, Loretta Dable, LaVelle Odegard, Lucille Kruchek and Carole Jean Johnson-Bohlken; sisters-in-law, Viola Krause, Marleen Krause, Amy Carey and Linda Carey; brothers-in-law, Elroy Odegard, Robert Johnson, Willis Bohlken, Pete Peterson, Johnny Kruchek and Frank Dable; granddaughter, Robyn Krause; and grandson, Jack Bollman.
GRAFTON, N.D. — Two North Dakota men are speaking out about a 38-year-long alleged mistake that altered their entire lives.
The men and their families are suing Unity Medical Center in Grafton, saying the hospital is responsible for
switching them at birth in 1988
. The hospital denies the allegations.
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There are moments that remind us exactly who we are as a community, and the recent fire at Antelope Creek Bar and Grill in Mooreton was one of them. Many already know the awful loss that unfolded. It was a brutally hot day, the kind where the sun feels heavy and the air is so thick, and social media quickly filled with photos, videos, and comments documenting the devastation. Heartbreaking. Gut‑wrenching. A place that held memories for so many suddenly only visions smoke and charred remains.
But even in the middle of all that loss, something else rose up, something that always seems to show itself around here when life gets hard. Kindness. Pure, steady kindness.
The volunteer firefighters were the first reminder. They never cease to amaze me. They drop everything … work, family, whatever they were in the middle of and suit up in layers of gear despite the heat and humidity. They’re regular people with regular jobs, yet they show up like it’s the most natural thing in the world. No spotlight. No applause. Just service. Just heart.
Then came the folks who arrived with water, Gatorade, and anything they could think of to help ease the burden of those battling the blaze. Nobody organized it. Nobody asked. They simply showed up because that’s what people do here. That alone would have been enough to warm my heart.
But it didn’t stop there.
As the day went on, I saw posts from other regional businesses, specifically other bar and grills, reaching out with messages of support. These are places that could easily be seen as competition, yet there they were, offering help, extending care, and standing shoulder to shoulder with the owners who had just watched their livelihood disappear. “We are here. How can we help?” they wrote. No rivalry. No hesitation. Just neighbors being neighbors.
If you ever need a reminder of what makes this valley special, it’s moments like that. People who could have stayed quiet choosing instead to lift someone else up. Businesses that could have focused on themselves choosing instead to stand with another in their darkest moment. It’s the best of us. The part of small town life that doesn’t make headlines but makes all the difference.
We talk a lot about community, but this, this right here is what it looks like. It looks like firefighters sweating through their gear on a 90‑degree day. It looks like strangers handing out cold drinks. It looks like business owners reaching across the aisle to say, “You’re not alone.” It looks like compassion showing up before anyone has time to think twice.
Loss has a way of revealing character. And what I saw in the wake of that fire was a valley full of people who still believe in showing up, still believe in helping, still believe in each other. In a world that can feel divided and loud, this quiet, steady goodness is worth noticing. Worth celebrating. Worth holding onto.
Because when the smoke clears and the debris settles, what remains is the strength of a community that refuses to let anyone face hardship alone. And that, more than anything, is the story worth telling.
That is the true Best of the Valley. The people.
Bobbi Steffens resides in the Southern Valley and discovered her passion for writing through an unexpected path.
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