‘We’ll see you in court’: Federal workers sue Trump admin over gender-affirming care coverage ban

WASHINGTON, DC: A human rights organization has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging its gender-affirming care coverage ban in federal workers’ health insurance plans.

The gender-affirming care coverage ban is a US policy prohibiting federal health insurance programs from covering expenses of medical and surgical procedures associated with gender transition.

Case filed for banning gender transition expenses

The arm of the Human Rights Campaign that filed the lawsuit argues that the ban violates the federal prohibition on gender discrimination in the workplace.  “Our message to the Trump administration is simple: We’ll see you in court,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.

“Healthcare access should never be weaponized to advance discrimination — and the denial of coverage for critical healthcare based simply on who you are blatantly violates the rights of all of us,” Robinson continued.

At the beginning of this year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced that it was suspending the insurance coverage for chemical and surgical procedures that aim to intervene with gender.

OPM manages health plans for federal workers and acts as a human resource department of the executive branch.

Five federal workers who are seeking such treatment for themselves or family members have brought this lawsuit against the administration.

“They are unable to pay out of pocket for the medically necessary gender-affirming procedures they need, are contemplating draining their savings, or are undertaking significant financial hardship to meet their medical needs,” the lawsuit states.

SC says no one can be fired because of gender

Federal workers, who have filed the case, argued that the ban violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employers from discriminating against someone “because of” gender.

The Supreme Court in 2020 ruled companies cannot fire someone merely because they’re transgender. Last year, the court upheld restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors.

The ban is part of  President Trump’s Day 1 executive order that seeks to suppress “gender ideology.”

The Trump administration has also looked to restrict interventions for transgender inmates, cut off federal grants, and ban transgender troops from serving in the military.

Besides, the Human Rights Campaign, the workers are also represented by the law firms Correia & Puth and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll.

The legal team includes Cathy Harris, whom Trump fired from a board established to protect civil service employees.