Biden To Restore Gay And Transgender Health Protections Reversed By Trump
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The Biden administration has announced that it will be reversing a Trump-era policy that limited the health care protections afforded to transgender people.
When Donald Trump was the president of the US, plenty of controversial actions took place. One of which was the act of enforcing discrimination protections ‘according to the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology.’
This action was taken in the middle of Pride month last year, and many were concerned that trans people would face discrimination because of these definitions. There were concerns about how trans people would be treated when seeking sex-reassignment treatment as well as common illnesses.
As per Associated Press, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra stated:
Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences. Everyone — including LGBTQ people — should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.
The Biden administration has now reversed the actions of Trump, which appealed to his conservative fan base. Instead, HSS will investigate cases of sex discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation as well as gender identity.
Speaking about the move to change the laws on sex discrimination, Becerra noted:
The Supreme Court has made clear that people have a right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sex and receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation. That’s why today HHS announced it will act on related reports of discrimination.
This action sees the Biden administration restore the policies of his Democratic predecessor, Barak Obama. The Affordable Care Act, established by Obama, had a prohibition on sex discrimination and did not include the term ‘gender identity’. This was seen as a way to protect the LGBTQ+ community and this seems to be the goal of Biden as he returns to the policy.
According to the Williams Institute, 1.5 million Americans identify as transgender and as a result, many will see the need for the re-implemented protections. Furthermore, the American Medical Association and civil rights organization have expressed support for the removal of law that enables discriminatory behaviour.
The Biden administration has now removed numerous laws and features seen in the Trump presidency. This ranges from a Diet Coke button to more serious topics like immigration policy. It will be interesting if more of Trump’s work is reversed during Biden’s presidency.
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