Rep. Takano Applauds Appellate Court Decision to Protect Gender Affirming Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mark Takano (CA-39), co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and primary sponsor of the Equality Act, released the following statement applauding the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to roll back discriminatory healthcare policies:
“I applaud the 4th Circuit for correctly upholding the right to gender-affirming care. The Court clearly statedthat state-funded health plans cannot exclude those seeking medically-necessary care, a giant step forward in achieving equality for all LGBTQ+ people.
“While I applaud the decision, we still live in an age where the trans experience is consistently demonized. So, while our community celebrates this decision, we will keep up the fight to ensure that protections for all LGBTQ+ people go beyond healthcare and extend to all aspects of life.”
Background on Takano:
- First openly gay, person of color elected to Congress in 2012;
- Co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus;
- Sponsor of the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to extend non-discrimination protections to the LGBTQ+ community.
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- This legislation would explicitly prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding housing, and public accommodations.
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