Health care new front for transgender rights under Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) - Military service. Bathroom use. And now health care.
The Trump administration is being criticized for rewriting a federal rule that bars discrimination in health care due to "gender identity." Critics say it's another attempt to undercut acceptance for transgender people.
The Health and Human Services Department rule dates to the Obama administration, when LGBT people gained political and social recognition.
But a federal judge in Texas said the rule went too far by concluding that discrimination on the basis of gender identity is a form of sex discrimination, which is forbidden by civil rights laws.
Instead of appealing the judge's injunction, the Trump administration opted to rewrite the rule.
The administration says the rewrite will address "reasonableness, necessity and efficacy."
Groups representing transgender people expect the protections to be gutted.