New York, 7th December, 2023 – On December 4, 2023, Pallas Partners (US) LLP filed an amicus brief on behalf of The Trevor Project in support of four transgender Medicaid beneficiaries challenging a Florida law, Rule 59G-1.050(7), that was adopted for the purpose of denying coverage for gender-affirming care to treat gender dysphoria.
“Pallas Partners is grateful to partner with The Trevor Project in raising awareness about the importance of ensuring that transgender individuals can access the health care they need in order to thrive,” said Pallas Partner Shireen Barday.
Pallas Partners (US) LLP is pro bono counsel to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organisation for LGBTQ+ young people.
“The Health Care Ban contradicts generally accepted professional medical standards, and fails to account for the particular medical needs of transgender Medicaid beneficiaries,” The Trevor Project brief states. The brief also reports that access to gender-affirming care results in myriad benefits to those that need it, including lower rates of suicide risk and negative mental health outcomes.
The case is August Dekker et al. v. Secretary, Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, et al., No. 23-12155 (11th Circuit) (on appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida No. 4:22-cv-325-RH-MAF). The Trevor Project’s amicus brief can be found here.
The Trevor Project’s peer-reviewed 2020 study found that gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) led to an almost 40% decrease in the likelihood of attempting suicide among transgender and non-binary young people aged 13–17. Further, data collected in the Trevor Project’s 2021 survey demonstrated that access to gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy is key to transgender young people’s positive feelings about their gender.
When asked about their feelings on their gender, transgender young people reported positive feelings associated with access to gender-affirming care. For example, one respondent reported that his masculine features attributed to hormone therapy made him feel euphoric about his gender.
