The Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services changed or removed information on its website about sex discrimination, according to a new report from the Sunlight Foundation.
The Office for Civil Rights altered this information on several webpages on Section 1557, part of the Affordable Care Act that relates to sex discrimination, between March and August 2017, according to the nonprofit focused on government transparency. Now, mentions of sex discriminat...
lgbtq
Maine governor ignores major medical organizations, vetoes bill to ban conversation therapy
A growing number of states are moving to ban conversion therapy — dubious, often shame-based methods to persuade kids to change their sexual orientation or gender identity — but Maine’s governor isn’t interested in joining the trend.
Gov. Paul LePage (R) on Friday became the first governor in the nation to veto such a ban, after the Maine legislature approved it last month.
In his veto message, LePage argued the legislation was overly broad and could p...
Iowa judge overturns state’s ban on Medicaid covering transgender medical procedures
An Iowa judge has overturned the state’s ban on allowing Medicaid to cover the costs of surgical procedures for transgender people. In his ruling Thursday, Chief District Judge Arthur Gamble ordered the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) to immediately approve Medicaid coverage for the two petitioners, Carol Ann Beal and EerieAnna Good.
Both Beal and Good had already changed all of their documentation to reflect their identities, but were denied coverage for medically nec...
Trans people suffer from higher rates of suicide. Why are hospitals letting them down?
Lying in a psychosis ward bed, Amelia Perry couldn’t shake thoughts of suicide. The noise blaring from other patients in the hallway and the bright lights above felt like too much. Perry, a 25-year-old trans person, was in the hospital seeking help.
Days earlier, Perry (who asked at admission to be identified by gender-neutral pronouns ze and hir) had been discharged from another nearby hospital following a week-long stay after attempting suicide. That’s how Perry ende...
Two transgender residents sue Wisconsin over discriminatory Medicaid rule
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) refused to cover Cody Flack’s top surgery.
Top surgery, a common reference for chest reconstruction surgery for transgender patients, is a widely accepted and effective surgical procedure for treating gender dysphoria. But DHS told Flack, who was born female but identifies as male, last summer that the procedure isn’t covered by Wisconsin’s Medicaid program. The state contends the surgery is “medically unneces...
Pence secretly drafted Trump’s latest transgender military ban
When President Trump announced a new ban on transgender people serving in the military late Friday, it was somewhat of a surprise — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had reportedly recommended in February that Trump allow transgender people to serve. It turns out that Vice President Pence and some of the country’s most prominent anti-LGBTQ activists had a role in reversing the outcome, which explains why the report explaining the decision is rife with anti-trans junk science.
Slate...
Mental health providers are failing bisexual patients
Last fall, I made an appointment with a new psychiatrist, hoping to explore my options for more effective treatment for my lifelong struggle with depression and anxiety. Life under the Trump regime has taken a harsh toll on me as an openly queer/bisexual woman, and like so many of my friends and fellow advocates from various social justice movements and marginalized communities, my regular regimen of antidepressants and self-care simply isn’t cutting it anymore.
Having been to this ...
Trans author Sarah McBride reflects on life lessons and the progress of equality
In her 27 years, activist and author Sarah McBride has already experienced many significant life events. Her new memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality documents the whirlwind that has been her past six years.
In 2012, she came out as transgender as she finished her term as student body president at American University. She went on to become the first openly trans intern at the White House, the face of the fight for transgender equa...
Illinois gubernatorial candidate unleashes hateful ad attacking trans people
Illinois state Rep. Jeanne Ives (R) is challenging incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) in the upcoming gubernatorial primary, attacking him from the right. Her campaign’s latest ad, however, does so by taking aim at various groups, including teachers, transgender people, and young feminists.
An actor portraying a mockery of a transgender woman thanks Rauner “for signing legislation that lets me use the girls’ bathroom,” even though the bill referenced on screen ...
Brown, queer, transgender, and not Christian: Meet the new wave of progressive lawmakers
Tuesday night was historic. Amid high turnout across Virginia, New Jersey, Washington, and elsewhere, voters elected a range of progressive candidates, many whose victories signify the first time queer and transgender people, communities of color, and religious minorities will be represented in office.
Here are a few of the next wave of diverse U.S. lawmakers.
Danica Roem, VirginiaManassas Park Democrat Danica Roem triumphed over one of Virginia’s most socially conserv...