Federal Employees Challenge Trump's Anti-Transgender Policy

Federal Employees Accuse Trump Administration of Discrimination

A group of federal employees in the United States has filed a collective complaint against President Donald Trump's administration regarding a new policy that will eliminate coverage for gender-affirming medical care in federal health insurance programs. The policy took effect at the beginning of the new year, and on Thursday, the Human Rights Foundation issued the complaint on behalf of federal employees.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been named as the defendant. In an August letter, OPM stated that starting in 2026, "chemical and surgical modification of the sexual characteristics of an individual through medical interventions" will no longer be covered under health insurance programs for federal employees and U.S. postal workers. OPM representatives could not be reached for immediate comment.

The complaint claims that the policy is discriminatory based on sex. It seeks to have the policy rescinded and demands compensation for economic damages and other remedial measures. If the issue is not resolved with OPM, the foundation stated that the claimants will pursue collective claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and may proceed with a lawsuit in federal court.

Separately, a group of Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration last month to block proposed rules that would limit children's access to gender-affirming care, marking the latest legal battle in Trump's efforts to dismantle legal protections for transgender individuals. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed rules that would prohibit hospitals providing gender-affirming care for minors from receiving Medicaid and Medicare funds and would disallow the Children's Health Insurance Program from covering such care.