Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund is committed to ending discrimination based upon gender identity and expression and to achieving equality for transgender people through public education, test-case litigation, direct legal services, and public policy efforts.
Today, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and co-counsel Reed Smith filed name change petitions in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh on behalf of three transgender women of color –Chauntey Mo’Nique Porter, Monae Alvarado, and Priscylla Renee Von Noaker – who are currently banned from obtaining legal name changes because they have felony convictions in their pasts.
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) announced its intent to voluntarily recognize a TLDEF employees union using a neutral card-check process for voluntary recognition. The recently-formed Union of Legal Workers for Trans Liberation (ULWT) is represented by the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (ALAA) – UAW Local 2325.
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a district court ruling determining that the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and Employees, a state entity, could be sued under the nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act for denying comprehensive gender-affirming health care coverage.
Late yesterday, a federal court permitted plaintiffs to continue to pursue several claims in Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) et al v. HHS, a lawsuit challenging the Trump-Pence Administration’s rule that seeks to undermine healthcare nondiscrimination protections contained in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The federal government had filed a motion to dismiss the case, but the court allowed many of the claims to proceed, while postponing consideration of others that are part of other court cases challenging the rule, and dismissing only some limited parts of the suit.
Today, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), Equality North Carolina, and the LGBTQ Center of Durham announced that following advocacy on behalf of two transgender women living in North Carolina and two North Carolina-based employers—Equality North Carolina and the LGBTQ Center of Durham—Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) has changed its policies to include coverage for gender-affirming facial surgery and voice therapy as medically necessary care.
Today, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) and the Empire Justice Center celebrated the signing of the NYS Gender Recognition Act (S.4402/A.5465) into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The Gender Recognition Act is a comprehensive law that has created streamlined and privacy-protective processes for transgender and nonbinary New Yorkers to update and obtain accurate identification documents.
Today, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) issued the below statement in response to the U.S. State Department’s announcement that it would be changing its policy to allow individuals to self-select the gender for and adding an X gender marker option to U.S. passports.
Learn about our Name Change Project process or fill out a confidential Name Change Project intake form.
Email: namechange@transgenderlegal.org*
* Please note that we are unable to provide intakes or legal advice by email.
Updated on Nov 5, 2021
