Tuesday, May 28, 2019
The Central Conference of American Rabbis condemns the Trump Administration’s latest attack on transgender Americans. By eliminating gender identity as a legitimate reason for health care and refusing to recognize anti-discrimination protections on the basis of gender identity, the Administration places millions of Americans – including Reform rabbis and members of the communities we serve – at serious risk.
Transgender Americans face unique health needs, which, if unmet, compromise their wellbeing and endanger their lives.
Reform rabbis have and will continue to stand up for transgender Americans among our own people and all God’s children (See our 2015 resolution: The Rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals). Each and every one of us – cisgender, gender non-conforming, and transgender – is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the divine image, deserving of equal treatment under the law and particularly in accessing health care.
We call upon the Trump Administration to reinstate the 2016 rules, defining the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition of discrimination “on the basis of sex” to include gender identity.
Rabbi Ronald Segal
President
Rabbi Steven A. Fox
Chief Executive
Rabbi Hara E. Person
Chief Executive-Elect
Central Conference of American Rabbis