October 22, 2018
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s statement on the Trump administration’s efforts to erase protections for transgender people by removing it from the definition of gender under Title IX:
“This is yet another example of the Trump administration trying to remove protections from American people. He started by targeting transgender students and military service members and now is targeting all transgender people in this country.
“First he came after the rights of those who wanted to protect the country. Then came an attack on educational opportunities. Next he’ll come after health care.
“This latest proposal is just plain mean-spirited and would come at the expense of people’s lives. It’s another in the continuing attacks on individual rights. The obvious goal is discrimination. We cannot tolerate this action.
“The president was elected to represent all Americans, whether he wants to or not. This dangerous policy will harm millions of transgender people in our country, who are already facing higher rates of violence, homelessness, joblessness, lack of medical care and suicide rates than cisgender people.
“I will continue, along with Washington state citizens and policymakers, to protect the rights of all people, including transgender people. We will not be silenced.”
Kreidler has taken steps to protect transgender people's rights to medical care:
- In August, Kreidler prompted Kaiser to stop denying chest reconstruction surgery for transgender women.
- In 2014, Kreidler called on all health insurers in Washington state to treat all transgender people fairly and cover their needs on par with cisgender people.
More information about transgender rights: