Cole spoke to the Washington Examiner outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday, as the court heard oral arguments on whether Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1 (SB1) barring puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for minors, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. As one of the most well-known voices in the detransitioner movement, Cole endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential run earlier this year, and pleaded for him and his running mate not to become sidetracked in aiding her fight in protecting children from transgender ideology.

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“Please, do not falter in the fight for protecting our children from this major identity crisis, from the abuses of these medical institutions,” Cole told the Washington Examiner. “Please continue to advocate for their rights to grow up fully intact, loved as they are, and for the rights of their parents to say ‘no’ to these institutions that want to compel them and to allow their children to get hurt. We cannot stop here, we must continue going until the very end of this fight when no child is being hurt like I was ever again.”

Cole’s story of transitioning from a female to a male as a teenager before detransitioning back to a woman has become a central point in the debate on the ethicality of transgender procedures and their availability to children. She testified about her ordeal when visiting Congress last year, and has also been cited by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) when he promoted a ban Florida made against transgender surgeries for minors.  

Cole was the headline speaker at a rally held by the organization Do No Harm, to support Tennessee as the Supreme Court heard its arguments. She told the Washington Examiner that she is “confident” the court would vote in favor of Tennessee, and argued it could pave the way for other states with similar laws to be upheld in future court battles.

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Cole’s speech detailed “the grief and the guilt” her parents underwent when their daughter was “ripped away from them” by medical professionals, but stated the “suffering” she went through “was not in vain” in light of the progress she and others have made in opposing transgender procedures for minors. She stressed how no child should ever have to undergo the pain she underwent, and stated she “didn’t have a chance” to choose a different path.

“I am grateful that the kids who come after me who are being victimized by the ACLU now are being given one!” Cole said. “I”m grateful that the state of Tennessee has listened to the stories of victims like me, that they have pumped the brakes hard on this practice. That the Supreme Court is willing to listen so soon and set a precedent that will allow most of the nation to protect children.”

Prior to the presidential election, which saw Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris, the former president vowed to end transgender surgeries for minors in one of his first campaign promises, calling these procedures “child abuse.” Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH) introduced the Protect Children’s Innocence Act in 2023, which Cole cited in praising Trump’s selection of his running mate in July 2024.