Senator Wiener and Assemblymember Gloria’s Statement on Supreme Court Ruling and Trump’s Rollback of Transgender Healthcare Protections

Senator Wiener and Assemblymember Gloria’s Statement on Supreme Court Ruling and Trump’s Rollback of Transgender Healthcare Protections Sacramento - Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Chair of the California Legislative LGTBQ Caucus, and Assemblymember Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), Vice Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling that discrimination against LGTBQ workers is barred by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act & on the Trump Administration’s recent rule change to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act:

"We are grateful that the United States Supreme Court affirmed that nobody should lose their job because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Monday’s ruling is long overdue and critically important, especially for those living in states that lack explicit non-discrimination employment protections. However, while we celebrate this important victory, we must not forget the impact of the news we received on Friday after the U.S Department of Health and Human Services announced its final rule on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Section 1557 of Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination in healthcare and health insurance coverage on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age and disability, was in 2016 interpreted by the Obama administration to encompass members of the LGBTQ community. The Trump administration ruled on Friday to roll back these protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. While California non-discrimination laws remain intact, and thus this won’t impact transgender or gender nonbinary people in California, this final rules come at a time when many LGBTQ people feel uncertain amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This news also came on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, in which 49 people – many of whom were Latinx LGBTQ people – died. It was completely unacceptable and we will not stay silent. Both of these decisions remind us how far we have come as a community and how far we have to go until we get full equality and protection under the law. The California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus will continue to fight for the LGTBQ community — and for our transgender and gender nonbinary siblings — until we have equal rights.”