(NEW YORK, NY - June 17, 2021) - Today, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) issued the following statement by Executive Director Andy Marra in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in California v. Texas:

“Today’s decision means that transgender people will continue to have expanded access to affordable, affirming health care and to be covered by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which provides critical non-discrimination protections.

The Affordable Care Act has been lifesaving for tens of millions of people in the U.S. While the individual mandate may have been struck down today, striking down the Affordable Care Act would have had disastrous, life-and-death consequences for the tens of millions of people in the U.S., particularly for those whom exposure to COVID-19 could be considered a pre-existing condition.”

In July 2020, TLDEF jointly filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of seven plaintiffs against the Trump administration after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that would invite insurance companies, hospitals, and health care providers to illegally deny patients care because of who they are in direct violation of the non-discrimination provisions of Section 1557. The federal lawsuit was filed less than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision affirmed that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people violates federal law. Today’s decision allows the lawsuit to continue.

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About TLDEF:

TLDEF is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, and public policy efforts. To learn more about TLDEF’s work, visit tldef.org.