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Why is NC’s treasurer still trying to pick on the state’s transgender employees?

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Why is NC’s treasurer still trying to pick on the state’s transgender employees? - Opinion

                                   The News&Observer        
      https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article271843202.html

By Sara Pequeño
January 31, 2023 1:16 PM

EXCERPTS Below:  (Click NEWS Link above to view entire story)
For four years, trans employees of the state have been fighting North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell in court to get access to care that would make their lives easier. Last week, a three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals panel heard arguments from the state’s legal team?, which argued that North Carolina’s employee healthcare policy does not discriminate against trans employees.

In 2019, multiple plaintiffs sued the state for not covering gender affirming care — namely hormone replacement therapy and reconstructive surgery. The state previously provided this care in 2017.

“Why pick on transgender dysphoria?” the Chief Circuit Judge Roger Gregory asked the lawyers. Gregory also told the state’s attorney, John Knepper, that the exclusions singled out trans people, who are a protected class.

Knepper, who is representing the state, insisted that “the plan is picking on everybody.”
It’s not clear how much money the state would save if 450 people or so are denied the care they need. It’s also unclear how much the state is spending to drag this case through the court system.

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