The Human Rights Campaign's legal arm filed a class-action lawsuit on Monday challenging the Trump administration's decision to eliminate coverage for gender-affirming treatments from federal employees' health insurance plans. The suit, brought on behalf of five federal workers, argues the ban runs afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex.
“Our message to the Trump administration is simple: We'll see you in court,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in a statement. “Healthcare access should never be weaponized to advance discrimination — and the denial of coverage for critical healthcare based simply on who you are blatantly violates the rights of all of us.”
At the start of the year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) — which oversees the executive branch's human resources and manages health plans for federal workers — announced it would stop covering chemical and surgical interventions that alter a person's sex traits. This move is part of President Trump's Day 1 executive order aimed at eradicating “gender ideology” from federal policy. The administration has also moved to restrict such care for transgender inmates, cut federal grants, and ban transgender individuals from military service.
The plaintiffs include federal workers who need the treatments for themselves or a family member. They contend that without insurance coverage, they face significant financial hardship. “They are unable to pay out of pocket for the medically necessary gender-affirming procedures they need, are contemplating draining their savings, or are undertaking significant financial hardship to meet their medical needs,” the lawsuit states.
This legal challenge follows months of opposition from the Human Rights Campaign, which earlier this year filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that investigates workplace discrimination. The group is now turning to the courts as part of a broader strategy to push back against the administration's policies.
The lawsuit also highlights a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that protects transgender employees from being fired based on their gender identity. However, last year the Court upheld restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, signaling a complex legal landscape. The plaintiffs argue that the OPM ban directly contradicts the 2020 precedent by denying coverage for medically necessary care.
In addition to the Human Rights Campaign, the workers are represented by the law firms Correia & Puth and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll. The legal team includes Cathy Harris, a former member of the Merit Systems Protection Board, which protects civil service employees from unfair personnel practices. Harris was fired by Trump, adding a personal dimension to the case.
This lawsuit is part of a wider pattern of legal battles over the administration's health policies. For instance, the administration's efforts to control scientific grants have also sparked congressional pushback, as seen in a recent spending bill stall. Meanwhile, the administration's approach to asylum courts has drawn criticism from groups like the ACLU, warning of a humanitarian disaster. The outcome of this lawsuit could set a precedent for how transgender rights are handled in federal employment and insurance.
