STATEMENT

Statement on Preserving Transgender and Non-Binary Americans’ Rights

June 15, 2020

  • LGBTQ Inclusion
  • Gender and Reproductive Equity

We are proud that today the United States Supreme Court ruled to protect LGBTQ+ employees from workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. We all deserve to live in safety and dignity, with equal rights under the law, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender identity. 

We also stand with everyone who opposes the Administration’s recent efforts to eliminate health protections for transgender and non-binary people. Specifically, the Administration has narrowed the definition of sex discrimination in the Affordable Care Act, eliminating vital health protections for transgender and non-binary people and depriving them of the basic right to health care. 

This ruling jeopardizes the health and safety of vulnerable Americans, particularly in the midst of a pandemic that is already disproportionately impacting the transgender and non-binary community and people of color. It also comes at a time when too many transgender people, particularly transgender women of color, face disproportionate discrimination and continue to be violently targeted and too frequently killed.

To add insult to injury, the Administration finalized this rule on the anniversary of the Pulse shooting, where a gunman killed 49 people in an LGBTQ+ nightclub, and during Pride Month, a time that celebrates the contributions the LGBTQ+ community has made to this country. 

LGBTQ+ people should not live in fear that they cannot access care simply because of who they are. We must continue to draw attention to the ongoing fight for safety and equality for LGBTQ+ people. And we must continue to do the hard work that is necessary to ensure we live up to our ideals as a nation—one in which all people are valued and able to live with dignity and in freedom.