US federal employees lodge complaint regarding ban on gender-affirming care
The Trump administration is now facing a fresh legal challenge from a collective of government employees impacted by a new policy set to commence on Thursday, which removes coverage for gender-affirming care within federal health insurance programs. The complaint, submitted on behalf of the employees by the Human Rights Campaign, is a reaction to an announcement made in August by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), stating that it would cease coverage for “chemical and surgical modification of an individual’s sex traits through medical interventions” in health insurance plans for federal workers and US Postal Service employees. The complaint contends that denying coverage for gender-affirming care constitutes sex-based discrimination and requests the personnel office to revoke the policy. “This policy is not about costs or care—it is aimed at pushing transgender individuals and those with transgender family members out of the federal workforce,” stated Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, in a statement regarding the complaint. Filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the complaint contains testimonies from four current federal employees at the state department, health and human services, and the postal service who would be directly impacted by the removal of coverage. For example, one postal service employee has a daughter for whom doctors have suggested the use of puberty blockers and possibly hormone replacement therapy for her diagnosed gender dysphoria, which would not be eligible for coverage under the new OPM policy, as highlighted in the complaint. The document emphasizes that the employees are making this claim on behalf of themselves and a “class of similarly situated federal employees.” The Trump administration has implemented additional measures to limit care for transgender Americans, notably minors. In December, the US Department of Health and Human Services unveiled proposals that would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, including a rule that would deny Medicare and Medicaid funds to hospitals providing such services to children. High-level Trump officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., have referred to gender-affirming care as “malpractice” for minors. However, these restrictions contradict the guidelines established by prominent medical organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Published: 2026-01-01 15:23:00
source: www.theguardian.com
