Minnesota District Court Rules Transgender Surgery Ban Unconstitutional

A Minnesota district court ruled that transgender people on the state's Medical Assistance program should be allowed access to medical services related to gender confirmation surgery.

The issue took off in 2005 with the case of Evan Thomas, a transgender man, who was denied medical assistance for his surgery. Thomas' case prompted a lawsuit in which he was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Minnesota. OutFront, Minnesota's largest LGBTQ rights organization, was also a plaintiff in the case.

"OutFront Minnesota is delighted by this ruling, confirming what we knew all along: targeting transgender people like this is discriminatory, unconstitutional, and wrong," said Phil Duran, legal director of OutFront Minnesota.

Today Thomas expresses his excitement for the court ruling in his favor.

"The judge's ruling is a forceful statement that transgender people deserve equal treatment under the law," Thomas said. "Right now, when we're suddenly facing a path that's so much rougher than it looked a few days ago, this victory looks even more important, and I'm proud to have been part of this case."