California introduces transgender inclusive care act

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• California state lawmakers introduced a bill to make healthcare more accessible and inclusive for transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) people.
• Providers would be required to undergo training on TGI patient care.
• Benefit plans would need to clearly indicate which of their providers offered gender-affirming care.

California lawmakers on Friday introduced new legislation to improve access to medical care for transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) people.

A bill put forth by California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) on Friday – the TGI Inclusive Care Act – would require healthcare providers to receive training on TGI patient care. Under the bill, healthcare benefit plans would also need to indicate, in searchable online directories, which of their providers deliver gender-affirming treatment.

“It’s simple: transgender, gender-nonconforming, and intersex people deserve the same quality of health care that everyone else receives,” Wiener told the Bay Area Reporter on Friday. “No one should go to a doctor’s appointment only to be misgendered, harassed, or even refused treatment.”

According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, 33 percent of transgender Californians reported having a negative interaction with a healthcare provider in the past year. Reported incidents included verbal, physical, and sexual assault, and some said they were turned away from clinics and doctors’ offices altogether.

Others reported having to educate their provider about transgender people in order to get appropriate care.

Wiener’s pro-transgender bill comes less than 24 hours after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed a bill into law barring transgender athletes from competing on girls’ or women’s sports teams in the state.

“This bill has been an important priority for a lot of the people behind me,” Noem said during a signing ceremony Thursday evening. “And I appreciate all of their hard work in making sure that girls will always have the opportunity to play in girls’ sports in South Dakota and have an opportunity for a level playing field, for fairness, that gives them the chance to experience success.”

Other anti-trans legislation has targeted gender-affirming care more directly, particularly for minors.

In a first-of-its-kind law, Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act prevents doctors in the state from providing gender-affirming care or resources.

After it was first introduced last February, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) vetoed the bill in April – a decision the state legislature quickly overrode. Over the summer, just days before the ban was set to take effect, a federal judge issued a ruling blocking its enforcement, pending the outcome of an ACLU lawsuit, which asserts the bill violates the Constitution.

Source: The Hill