Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

This afternoon the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which also includes protection for transgender and gender non-conforming (as well as lesbian, gay, and bisexual) victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. The bill now going tot he President for signing.

Congress approves LGBT-inclusive VAWA, Obama vows to sign
MetroWeekly
Posted by Justin Snow
February 28, 2013 4:13 PM

An LGBT-inclusive Violence Against Women Act swept through the House of Representatives today, winning a bipartisan majority in the Republican-controlled chamber.

Voting 286 to 138 on Thursday, the House approved the Senate version of VAWA, which includes protections for LGBT victims of abuse. First signed into law in 1994, the vote comes after Congress failed to reauthorize VAWA in October 2011 over objections from Republicans to the LGBT provision, as well as provisions for Native Americans and immigrants.

Although House Republicans attempted to pass their own version of VAWA today without those contested provisions, the House rejected that bill 166 to 257 and passed the Senate version of the bill, which that chamber approved earlier this month 78 to 22.

You can read the article here.

Massachusetts Dept. of Ed. Guidelines for Trans Students

The other day the Massachusetts Department of Education issued guideline for transgender students, "Guidance for Massachusetts Public Schools Creating a Safe and Supportive School Environment - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity". The Boston Globe said this about the guidelines...

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Department of Education on Friday issued directives for handling transgender students, including allowing them to use the bathrooms or play on the sports teams that correspond to the gender with which they identify.

The guidance was issued at the request of state board of education to help schools follow the state’s 2011 anti-discrimination law protecting transgender people.

‘‘These students, because of widespread misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about their lives, are at a higher risk for peer ostracism, victimization, and bullying,’’ the document read.

You can read the rest of the story here.


Connecticut's guidelines that CTAC helped write as part of the Safe School Coalition is located here.

Brown University To Cover Trans-Surgery

It was announced last week that Brown University will cover trans-surgery. In the university newspaper last week  they said...

The Brown Student Health Insurance Plan will cover 14 different sexual reassignment surgery procedures starting in August, Director of Insurance and Purchasing Services Jeanne Hebert confirmed in an email to The Herald.

The move makes Brown one of a handful of schools and healthcare providers nationwide to cover the surgeries.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Oregon Healthcare Coverage

Now if only Connecticut would follow suit and remove the transgender exclusions for its employees and require insurance companies from having discriminatory exclusions for trans-people on the policies that they issue.

Victory for Oregon's Transgender State Workers
by Lambda Legal
January 17, 2013

Oregon has changed its state employees' health care policies to include transition-related health care for transgender people, Lambda Legal announced today.

The change came in response to Lambda Legal's lawsuit on behalf of state employee Alec Esquivel, who was denied insurance coverage for a medically necessary surgery because he is transgender.

Read the entire press release here.

California Insurance Coverage

California insurance companies must end exclusions of medically-necessary care for transgender people...

Ore., Calif., require transgender health coverage
Huffington Post (AP)
JONATHAN J. COOPER
January 11, 2013

SALEM, Ore. — Regulators in Oregon and California have quietly directed some health insurance companies to stop denying coverage for transgender patients because of their gender identity.

The states aren't requiring coverage of specific medical treatments. But they told some private insurance companies they must pay for a transgender person's hormone therapy, breast reduction, cancer screening or any other procedure deemed medically necessary if they cover it for patients who aren't transgender.

The changes apply to companies insuring about a third of Oregonians and about 7 percent of Californians, but not to people on Medicare and Medicaid or to the majority of Californians who are insured through a health management organization, or HMO.

As the article says, this does not require to cover GCS (Gender Conforming Surgery) but only requires the insurance company to cover what they offer other medically necessary treatments. For an example, if insurance pays for medically necessary Orchiectomy, Penectomy, Vaginoplasty, Clitoroplasty or Labiaplasty for non-transgender patients then they must cover trans-patients.

See also our blog post on the Oregon bulletin.

Charter Oak Cultural Center: The Vagina Monologues

The Vagina Monologues, By Eve Ensler
February 1, 2013 7:30 pm February 2, 2013 7:30 pm

$15 general admission | $10 seniors, Charter Oak and Let*s Go Arts! members | $5 students

The VDay tradition continues. Kristin Flyntz returns to direct this year’s production of what has become one of our signature events of the year, now in its tenth year. Proceeds to benefit My Sister’s Place, Interval House and Connecticut Transadvocacy Coalition.

Wear red and show love for women everywhere!

Special UNCORKED reception before Friday night’s performance only!

Oregon Insurance Coverage

Oregon insurance companies must end exclusions of medically-necessary care for transgender people...

Oregon Insurance Division Bulletin INS 2012-01

TO: All Insurers Transacting Insurance in Oregon

RE: Application of Senate Bill 2 (2007 Legislative Session) to Gender Identity Issues in the Transaction and Regulation of Insurance in Oregon

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide guidance to insurers about how the Insurance Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (division) expects insurers and other licensees to conform to provisions of the Oregon Equality Act (Senate Bill 2, 2007 Legislative Session) (SB 2) in the transaction of insurance in Oregon when a transaction or activity relates to gender identity. Although most of this bulletin pertains to health insurance issues, the principles set forth are equally applicable to other kinds of insurance to the extent equality of treatment and nondiscrimination is required. The division has received questions related to coverage and treatment of conditions related to gender identity or gender dysphoria...

To read the entire bulletin click here.