John,
In a late night court ruling last night, a federal judge stopped a policy change just hours before going into effect that would have encouraged healthcare providers and insurance companies to deny care to transgender people.
This ruling affirms what we have long known: discrimination is wrong, especially when it comes to healthcare, where life-or-death matters are on the line. The court was clear in its ruling that the Trump administration’s actions violated the law. The Supreme Court made it clear earlier this summer in the landmark decision of Bostock that discrimination against transgender people is discrimination on the basis of sex, pure and simple. No one should be discriminated against for who they are, especially in healthcare, and in the midst of a global pandemic.
We’ve been raising the alarm on this from the beginning. Our hard work paid off, and now this discriminatory change is stopped in its tracks. But, it’s not over yet. The Trump administration will almost certainly appeal. We need all the help we can get to fight this to the end. Will you make a contribution today to join us as we continue this fight?
This rule change would have put mariginalized communities like the transgender community at greater risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Transgender people have a higher potential of being impacted by COVID, especially Black and Latino trans people who already experience significant disparities in healthcare and have been disproportionally hit by the virus. This rule would have only increased the injustice in healthcare settings.
Sincerely,
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen
Deputy Executive Director for Policy & Action
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