It's a significant victory for advocates of transgender rights: A federal appeals court based in Virginia has ruled that state-run health care plans must cover gender surgeries. The Washington Post reports that the ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit is the first such decision in the nation. However, the Supreme Court may have the last word, notes the AP. Details:
- In North Carolina, NC State professor Julia McKeown sued after having to cover the full cost of her gender-affirming surgery. She is one of several plaintiffs in the case, called Kadel vs. Folwell. (Max Kadel is a state employee and transgender man who sued after losing coverage of testosterone, as NC Newsline previously reported.)
- In West Virginia, trans Medicaid users challenged a state law that bans "transsexual surgeries."