With such proposal, the federal government is sending a “dangerous message” that the transgender community as “unworthy” of civil rights protections, according to the Attorneys General.
They noted that there are approximately 1.4 million transgender individuals in the United States. Many others do not conform to traditional gender norms. The transgender community “had suffered and continues to suffer from persecutions and discrimination.”
A number of states and localities enacted civil rights protections for transgender and gender nonconforming people. However, many jurisdictions still do not have meaningful protections for them.
“Our federal laws and policies should promote basic principles of nondiscrimination and inclusion rather than single out people for disparate treatment and exclusion,” they said.
In conclusion, the Attorneys General stressed that the Trump administration’s attempt to narrow the definition of sex…is really nothing more than discrimination for its own sake and thus contrary to basic principles of equal protection.”
State Attorneys General vowed to fight for civil rights protections for everyone
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey led the coalition encouraging Azar and DeVos to end the efforts to adopt a restrictive and discriminatory federal definition of sex.
