Suit over gender dysphoria could dismantle new disability rules
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/suit-over-gender-dysphoria-could-dismantle-new-disability-rules/ar-AA1sjIhM?ocid=windirect&cvid=22c30ae27d124f4a964c10dc97482936&ei=18
Story by Sarah Szilagy (15 Octo 2024)
When the US Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule in May asserting that gender dysphoria can be considered a disability under federal anti-discrimination laws, it codified what the overwhelming majority of courts have found for nearly a decade. The new rule put states on notice: Discrimination against transgender people in employment, education, health care, child care, housing, and elsewhere may violate federal disability protections, and the Biden administration was prepared to fight it.
Now, in a lawsuit led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 17 states are asking a federal court to strike down the rule in its entirety, including numerous provisions that have nothing to do with trans people.
Among the states' objections to the new federal rule: They would have to "expend time, money, and resources" to accommodate employees with gender dysphoria, including using the pronouns that align with their identities, eliminating sex-specific dress codes, and letting employees use gender-aligned bathrooms or locker rooms. Nebraska's attorney general is concerned that his state's restrictions on gender care put it at risk of disability rights complaints and federal investigations. South Dakota objects to the rule "essentially add[ing] a new category of potentially disabled individuals" whose gender care must be covered by Medicaid.