SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A national civil rights group has filed a lawsuit against the state of Oregon, claiming it denied insurance coverage for a transgender state worker.
Lambda Legal said it filed the suit Tuesday on behalf of Alec Esquivel, a law school graduate who is an Oregon Court of Appeals clerk.
The legal group says Esquivel was a female who is making the transition to a male gender identity. As part of transition-related health plan, Esquivel’s doctor recommended he undergo a hysterectomy because of a heightened risk for uterine and ovarian cancer.
Esquivel’s doctor submitted a request for insurance coverage that was denied last year. The lawsuit argues that Oregon’s antidiscrimination law prohibits an employer from denying insurance coverage on the basis of gender identity.
State officials were not immediately available.
