A Tale Of Two States

It was the best of times in Wisconsin and the worst of times in Kentucky, and then there is the Trump administration.

Bill would keep transgender students from using restrooms that align with their identities
By Sarah Ladd
Louisville Courier Journal
December 9, 2019

A bill prefiled in the Kentucky legislature would keep transgender students from using restrooms that align with their gender identities.

The proposed bill, prefiled Thursday by state Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, claims non-transgender students could suffer "potential embarrassment, shame and psychological injury" by using the same restroom or changing room as their transgender peers.

The bill, called the Kentucky Student Privacy Act, says such a situation carries "a significant potential for disruption of school activities and unsafe conditions."

It would not allow a person who was born male and is transitioning to female to use restrooms designated for girls, and vice versa for students born female and transitioning to male.

This is a knee jerk response from the Republicans, they have no idea what he results will be if it is passed. One result will be trans boys in the girls locker room.

Texas passed a bill that required students to play sports on the team of their birth gender and as a results  trans boys are winning in girls sports.

Transgender Wrestler Wins Texas Championship For Girls
Spring Hill Insider
December 12, 2019

Transgender wrestler wins Texas championship for girls

Feb 26 (Reuters) – Mack Beggs, a 17-year-old high school wrestler who is transitioning from female to male, took home gold in the 110-weight class of the Texas girls state championship after the state refused to allow the student to compete against boys.

Beggs, his family and many of his opponents wanted him to wrestle against male wrestlers, but state sport regulations require athletes to compete according to their birth gender.

The Republicans get so caught in their hate and bigotry that they don’t think things through.

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Meanwhile up in Wisconsin we now have insurance coverage!

Medically necessary transgender surgery now covered by Wisconsin Medicaid after legal battle
By Bruce Vielmetti
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
December 10, 2019

Wisconsin will no longer categorically deny Medicaid coverage for medically necessary gender-confirming surgery, a practice a federal judge found violated patients' civil rights and federal health care law.

Lawyers for transgender residents who sued last year announced a settlement Tuesday after the deadline had passed for the state to appeal last month's final judgment in the class action case.

U.S. District Judge William Conley, of Madison, noted the “consensus within the medical profession (is) that gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition, which if left untreated or inadequately treated can cause adverse symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, serious mental distress, self-harm, and suicidal ideation."

Meanwhile Health and Human Services is trying to strip us of insurance coverage for those who get their health insurance using Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) section 1557.

HHS Proposes To Strip Gender Identity, Language Access Protections From ACA Anti-Discrimination Rule
Health Affiars
By Katie Keith
May 25, 2019

On May 24, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a new proposed rule to dramatically revise the agency’s prior interpretation of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the ACA’s primary anti-discrimination provision. The latest proposal from OCR rewrites an Obama-era regulation that was issued in 2016 that has been the source of ongoing litigation. The proposed rule is accompanied by a press release and fact sheet.

The proposed rule would eliminate major parts of the 2016 regulation and make significant changes to the scope of Section 1557. The proposed rule would entirely eliminate:

The definitions section of the current rule (thereby eliminating definitions of key terms such as “covered entity” and “on the basis of sex”);

• Specific nondiscrimination protections based on sex, gender identity, and association;
• Major language access requirements (such as a requirement that covered entities include translated taglines on notices and significant communications to consumers);
• Notice requirements that require covered entities to post information about Section 1557 and nondiscrimination at its locations and on its website;
• Requirements to have a compliance coordinator and written grievance procedure to handle complaints about alleged violations of Section; and
• Various enforcement-related provisions (such as protections against intimidation and retaliation).

OCR also proposes to make what it refers to as “limited conforming amendments” in 10 other HHS regulations, even though OCR is not the implementing agency for these regulations. These changes would remove explicit nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people by eliminating sexual orientation and gender identity from other HHS regulations—like nondiscrimination standards for qualified health plans and the marketplaces—that are unrelated to Section 1557 and long predated the 2016 rule.