of public accommodation” (Congressional Research Service,
2015). Although some states do have laws preventing this type
of discrimination, a federal law would make a huge difference
in protecting all of the LGBT community over the entire
United States. Transgender individuals are often turned away
by doctors and private insurance companies, but this bill
would be a major step in the right direction for equal
healthcare for everyone.
Some may argue that covering transgender healthcare
would be too expensive and that many of these procedures are
cosmetic and unnecessary. However, the transgender
community is very small, only about .3% of the United States
population, and therefore would not be a drastic expense for
insurance companies to cover (Burke, 2015). Also, many of the
procedures are already covered for those who are cisgender, so
there is no reason that this minority should be discriminated
against (Lambda Legal, 2015). Studies have found that when
transgender individuals receive gender-confirming treatment,
they have fewer mental health issues and higher rates of
employment. When transgender healthcare is accessible,
individuals have reported reduced stress, anxiety, and