BOISE, Idaho – The American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho filed a lawsuit against the state following the implantation of a legislative ban on the use of taxpayer funds for gender affirming healthcare.
Idaho’s ACLU says that House Bill 668, which prohibits the use of public funding for affirming care, violates the right of citizens living in state Department of Corrections custody to access healthcare.
Incarcerated individuals rely upon public funding for healthcare because the Department of Corrections is a state institution. Under the new healthcare restrictions that went into effect on July 1, transgender people living under government custody could lose access to hormone therapy.
“As a result of…HB 668…medical staff employed by IDOC…have notified some Plaintiffs that their hormone replacement therapy will be terminated or their dose will be lowered in preparation for HB 668’s effective date of July 1, 2024,” the ACLU filing said.
Three transgender women are represented by the ACLU lawsuit, and all of them have lost access to healthcare previously approved by their physicians according to the court filing.
Idaho Governor Brad Little (R), Attorney General Raúl Labrador (R) and Department of Corrections Director Josh Tewalt are named as defendants in the lawsuit. None of them have made public statements on the lawsuit as of Wednesday afternoon.
The lawsuit comes after the US Supreme Court allowed Idaho to ban gender affirming care for people under 18-years-old in April.
According to the national ACLU, 527 anti-trans bills have been considered by state legislatures in 2024.
