Trump Removes Gender Identity As Form Of Sex Discrimination, Healthcare Providers Can Deny Service To Transgender People

The Trump Administration has once again made life a bit more difficult for those within the LGTBQ+ community. On Friday, a rule was finalized that “removes nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people when it comes to health care and health insurance.”

The Administration was able to do this because they removed gender identity as a form of discrimination.  This means healthcare providers or insurance companies that discriminate against patients for being transgender will not be punished, and it won’t be considered illegal.

The new rule is one of many that speaks on how narrow-minded Trump and his administration are when it comes to defining “sex discrimination.” They believe it only applies when someone faces discrimination for being female or male.

In 2016, Obama and his administration actually worked to change the definition to include “one’s internal sense of gender,” according to BuzzFeed. But, there was no end result.

The new rule also touches on abortion as it protects health providers who refuse to abortion series due to religious beliefs.

“This rule will hurt Americans and fall hardest on people who already face barriers to accessing healthcare,” NARAL Pro-Choice America said in a statement. “The cruelty of this administration knows no bounds.”

The rule is set to go into effect by mid-August.