In recent years, conservative politicians have made extreme efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming care. In one example, they directed state health agencies to treat gender-affirming care for trans minors as "child abuse." In another case, they required middle school and high school athletes to show proof of their assigned sex at birth. Most recently, they prohibited discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom. But last week, a landmark federal law may have helped set a precedent that could protect transgender people who experience gender dysphoria.
On Aug. 24, a panel of the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals announced the decision that the 1990s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) extends to people with gender dysphoria. This effectively reversed the federal ruling in Kesha Williams v. Stacey Kincaid, where Williams, a transgender woman, sued the Fairfax County sheriff in Virginia for intentionally misgendering her and housing her in a jail with men. (The court originally ruled against Williams.)
By acknowledging gender dysphoria under the ADA, it sets a precedent that gender-affirming treatments should be a part of standard medical care. Yet with gender-affirming care like hormone-replacement therapy under attack, it's more important than ever to better understand what gender dysphoria is, how the ADA can protect trans people, and why this ruling is a huge win for human rights.
Gender dysphoria is a health condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that is categorized as "psychological distress." It's what happens when a person's assigned sex at birth does not align with their gender identity, creating feelings of anguish and intense emotional pain. And though gender dysphoria's diagnosis in the DSM makes it easier for some transgender people to access medical care by acknowledging it as an actual health condition, it can also be controversial. Some people argue that it pathologizes gender dissonance and contributes to the stigma that being trans is a "mental illness," which is not the case.
Regardless, it's important to note that not every transgender person experiences dysphoria, and it varies in severity from person to person. In the case of Kesha Williams vs. Stacey Kincaid, Williams experienced gender dysphoria when she was intentionally misgendered and denied hormone treatment, in addition to being housed in jail with men.
The Americans with Disabilities Act was established to prohibit discrimination against anyone with disabilities in areas of employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government programs and services, according to the US Department of Labor. The ruling states, "The ADA defines the term 'disability' broadly to include 'a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual."
The reason gender dysphoria now falls under the ADA is because the ruling acknowledges it as a disability. The federal court ruled the 1990 landmark federal law protects transgender people who experience symptoms as a result of dissonance between their sex assigned at birth and their true gender identity. This will set a precedent that can be used to challenge laws attempting to restrict access to medical care and other areas that fall under the ADA, like employment and government benefits.
The federal ruling means that gender dysphoria is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The decision applies broadly to all areas of society covered by disability-rights law, including employment, government benefits and services, and public accommodations. In addition to destigmatizing a legitimate health condition, AP News reports that the ruling provides legal protections to people with gender dysphoria in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, and it may serve as a legal precedent for other states.
Read the original post:
Gender Dysphoria Is Now Protected Under the Americans With Disabilities Act and It's a Pretty... - POPSUGAR
- Pharmac seeking bids from suppliers to fund another type of hormone replacement therapy - New Zealand Doctor Online - April 5th, 2024
- What is Hormone Replacement Therapy and how safe is it? - PinkNews - March 19th, 2024
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy | Johns Hopkins Medicine - January 6th, 2024
- Find a Provider - Biote - January 6th, 2024
- Biote Certified Providers By State - Biote - January 6th, 2024
- Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You? What to Know - Motherly Inc. - January 6th, 2024
- Hormone Replacement Therapy - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - February 6th, 2023
- Natural hormone replacement therapy: How it works - Medical News Today - February 6th, 2023
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Types - NHS - December 27th, 2022
- Helping Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer ThedaCare - ThedaCare - October 13th, 2022
- 'How Hormone Replacement Therapy Impacted My Strength Training' - Women's Health - October 13th, 2022
- This Simple Blood Test Gives Incredible Insights Into Building Muscle Mass - Yardbarker - October 13th, 2022
- Take strides to raise awareness of breast cancer - Theredstonerocket - October 13th, 2022
- Breast cancer and hormone therapy | GNP online - brytfmonline.com - October 13th, 2022
- Early detection matters | Marshall Medical employee recounts her breast cancer journey - Sand Mountain Reporter - October 13th, 2022
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Benefits and risks - NHS - October 4th, 2022
- Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy | Johns Hopkins Medicine - October 4th, 2022
- Prescribing HRT in women with migraine The Medical Republic - The Medical Republic - October 4th, 2022
- Caring for the gynecologic needs of the adolescent patient - Contemporary Obgyn - October 4th, 2022
- Im a GP heres the best way to treat acne and when to see a doctor... - The US Sun - October 4th, 2022
- State-by-state prevalence of the 5 most common types of cancer - KFOR Oklahoma City - October 4th, 2022
- How Menopause Affects Cholesterol And What to Do About It - TIME - September 25th, 2022
- Stroke symptoms in men & women - Times of India - September 25th, 2022
- Turn back the clock with collaborative care solutions Peace Arch News - Peace Arch News - September 25th, 2022
- Health benefits of flaxseed - Punch Newspapers - September 25th, 2022
- Progesterone Market Size to Grow by USD 1.23 Billion, Rise in Research and Development of Progesterone Drugs -Technavio - Yahoo Finance - September 25th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause - Healthline - September 16th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy Market to Hit Value of $29.65 Billion by 2028 | Looming Shortage HRT Products to be a Key Challenge - GlobeNewswire - September 16th, 2022
- This Is How Long It Takes For Hormone Replacement Therapy To Start Working - Health Digest - September 16th, 2022
- Progesterone to be fully funded for all who need it in 'a welcome change' - Stuff - September 16th, 2022
- Contributor: In the Misdiagnosis of Menopause, What Needs to Change? - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - September 16th, 2022
- Premenstrual syndrome: Real-life impact and coping strategies - Medical News Today - September 16th, 2022
- Why you should be paying attention to Ohio Supreme Court races - News 5 Cleveland WEWS - September 16th, 2022
- When You Take Vitamin C Every Day, Here's What Happens Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 16th, 2022
- Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) - breast cancer - September 8th, 2022
- Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men - September 8th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy for Over 60s | Gransnet - September 8th, 2022
- Rethinking "The Change": Discover 40+ Ways to Embrace Menopause - PR Newswire - September 8th, 2022
- Seven days in medicine: 31 Aug to 6 Sep 2022 - The BMJ - September 8th, 2022
- If Covid Distorted Your Sense Of Time, Don't Panic: You're In The Majority - Kaiser Health News - September 8th, 2022
- Hot Flashes Can Impact Up to 80% of Women So Why Arent We Talking About It? - SheKnows - August 30th, 2022
- Woman shares the frustrations of going through menopause at age 49 - Insider - August 30th, 2022
- F*cking Ridiculous! Scotland Is Championing Menopause But Got One Big Thing Wrong - Suggest - August 30th, 2022
- Hunter Schafer Criticized For Appearing to Agree With Anti-Nonbinary Post - Newsweek - August 30th, 2022
- Boxing New Zealand supports open category in Olympic style boxing - New Zealand Herald - August 30th, 2022
- Doylestown Turns The Town Teal For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month - Patch - August 30th, 2022
- The far right aims to eliminate trans people But the working... - Liberation - August 30th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy Will Be Available Over-The-Counter In The UK In SeptemberWe Wish The U.S. Would Follow Suit - Suggest - August 22nd, 2022
- To Your Good Health: Length of hormone treatment depends on the individual - Agri-News - August 22nd, 2022
- Menopause: Symptoms, causes, complications, diagnosis and treatment - Rising Kashmir - August 22nd, 2022
- How to Treat and Prevent Melasma with Nutrition - Intelligent Living - August 22nd, 2022
- How to eat and exercise for menopause: why you should prep now - Stylist Magazine - August 22nd, 2022
- 4 Real-Life Dating Tips for People Living with Alopecia - Everyday Health - August 22nd, 2022
- Cardiovascular health in the menopause transition: a longitudinal study of up to 3892 women with up to four repeated measures of risk factors - BMC... - August 22nd, 2022
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) | Health Navigator NZ - July 3rd, 2022
- Hormone-replacement therapy: current thinking - PubMed - July 3rd, 2022
- With 6.1 % CAGR, Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size worth USD 21.49 billion by 2028 Industry Trends - Benzinga - July 3rd, 2022
- Lower Hormone Levels Linked to Risk of Sleep Apnea - Medscape - July 3rd, 2022
- Menopause and Sensitive Teeth: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments - Healthline - July 3rd, 2022
- 8 Bad Habits Leading to Breast Cancer Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - July 3rd, 2022
- Open, honest conversations key in reducing LGBTQ health disparities - WFYI - July 3rd, 2022
- Stopping Hormone Replacement Therapy: Cold Turkey Menopause - Breastcancer.org - July 3rd, 2022
- What the Reversal of Roe Means for the LGBTQ+ Community - Progressive.org - July 3rd, 2022
- Top 10 Hormone Replacement Therapy Industry to Look Out for in 2022 by Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, Pfizer, Inc., Mylan Laboratories - Digital... - June 22nd, 2022
- University of Medicine and Health Sciences to Host "LGBTQ+ Medicine & Theory: Providing Compassionate Care" - Yahoo Finance - June 22nd, 2022
- International Yoga Day: Womens health & yoga - Times of India - June 22nd, 2022
- Exelixis Announces Initiation of the STELLAR-303 Phase 3 Pivotal Trial Evaluating XL092 in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer - Yahoo Finance - June 22nd, 2022
- 7 Strong Buy Dividend Aristocrats Are Safe-Haven Stocks to Own During a Recession - 24/7 Wall St. - June 22nd, 2022
- Hormone-Replacement Therapy Is Life-Changing: What to Consider Before Getting Started - POPSUGAR - June 13th, 2022
- High Doses of Widely-Used Cancer Drug in Hormonal Therapy Can Increase Risk of Brain Tumour in Women by Seven Times | The Weather Channel - Articles... - June 13th, 2022
- Latest study reveals that two male contraceptive pills could expand options for birth control - Interesting Engineering - June 13th, 2022
- Pride Week: Beginning Hormone Replacement Therapy : Short Wave - NPR - June 13th, 2022
- The heartbreak, hope and courage of a Maine transgender child - The Maine Monitor - June 13th, 2022
- Trans conversion therapy: What to expect when MPs debate ban - Open Democracy - June 13th, 2022
- If the menopause movement is to be truly revolutionary, it needs to include women with cancer - iNews - June 4th, 2022
- The Very Peri Summit Resource Centre: Hormone Replacement Therapy with Dr Yasmin Tan. - Mamamia - June 4th, 2022
- Finding the "Sweet Spot": Thyroid Hormone Treatment and Cardiovascular Disease - Endocrinology Network - June 4th, 2022
- Rethinking Identity and Testosterone in Imagine a Body - The New Yorker - June 4th, 2022
- Postmenopausal Years Are Creative and Satisfying for Women - Oprah Mag - June 4th, 2022
- Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Market by Type (Oral, Parenteral), Application (Contraceptive, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Treatment of Endometriosis,... - May 15th, 2022