When Dr. Nicole Nisly met her first transgender patient, she didn’t know what to say. It’s common among healthcare providers. What name should I use? How should I refer to them? Should I ask? Her patient was a trans woman who had transitioned 10 years prior, and Nisly could feel the tension in the air. […]
Transgender Health Care
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Judge strikes down Iowa’s ban on Medicaid covering gender-affirming medical procedures
In 2019, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down a state regulation prohibiting Medicaid from covering gender-affirming procedures deemed medically necessary, finding it violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA). Republicans in the state legislature responded by passing a statute intended to amend the ICRA and make that sort of discrimination legal by prohibiting “any state […]
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Transgender Iowan sues to overturn state’s ban on Medicaid coverage for medically necessary procedures
A lawsuit challenging Iowa’s ban on allowing Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming procedures deemed necessary by a doctor was filed in Polk County District Court on Thursday by the ACLU of Iowa and the national ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project. The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of Aiden Vasquez, a transgender resident of southeast […]
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Aime Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first trans elected official, reflects on coming out, her run for Hiawatha City Council and Iowa’s COVID-19 failures
Aime Wichtendahl didn’t run for office until 2015, but she’s been intrigued by politics for more than three decades. “When I was 8 years old, I remember following the ’88 presidential election between Bush and Dukakis,” she said. “And interestingly, I was really mad at my parents for voting for Dukakis. Which is weird now […]
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Transgender Iowans sue over state’s latest attempt to restrict Medicaid funding
On Friday, the ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit in state district court on behalf of two transgender Iowans and the LGBTQ rights group One Iowa, that seeks to overturn the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors.
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Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill that cuts off Medicaid funds for gender confirmation procedures
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Friday that contained a provision overturning a March ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors. The justices ruled unanimously that the ban violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act
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Iowa Supreme Court strikes down state’s ban on Medicaid paying for gender affirmation procedures
In a unanimous decision issued on Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the state’s prohibition on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors violates the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The decision confirms a district court judge’s ruling in June 2018, striking down the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) rule against paying for such procedures.
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Judge rules Iowa’s prohibition on Medicaid coverage for gender-reassignment procedures is unconstitutional
On Wednesday, Polk County Chief District Judge Arthur Gamble ruled a provision in Iowa law prohibiting the use of Medicaid funds for gender-reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors “violates the ICRA [Iowa Civil Rights Act] and the Iowa Constitution.” Gamble issued his ruling in a lawsuit brought by two transgender Iowans, Carol Ann Beal […]
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Transgender prison nurse sues the state of Iowa for discrimination
Jesse Vroegh, a transgender man, is suing two state agencies and a major insurance company for violating Iowa laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity
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Transcare program coming to Cedar Rapids Planned Parenthood
Starting in January, the Cedar Rapids Planned Parenthood Health Center (3425 1st Ave. SE) will be providing a new range of health care services for members of the transgender and gender nonconforming communities, including hormone therapy along with continuing healthcare and lab work. “We had an interest in providing these services to better serve the […]
