GLAAD Urges N.Y. Gov. to Help Trans New Yorkers Get Needed Health Care

Many health insurance policies and programs specifically exclude trans and gender-nonconforming people from accessing the health care they need, including New York State Medicaid.

That's why GLAAD and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project are urging people to call upon New York governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State health commissioner Nirav Shah to overturn New York State Medicaid's regulation that excludes trans people from receiving care just because of who they are.

"Transgender healthcare isn't special healthcare. It's regular healthcare that non-trans people receive every day when they need it," GLAAD states on its website. Transgender health treatments are safe, effective and medically necessary for many transgender people. Unfortunately, healthcare is often denied to trans people due to misinformation and bias. By repealing the exclusionary regulation, Gov. Cuomo and Health Commissioner Shah can ensure that transgender people receiving Medicaid have the same access to essential care as anyone else."

To help further education and call for the repeal of New York State Medicaid's trans-excluding regulation, GLAAD and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project have produced an informative new video that outlines the health care needs and of transgender and gender-nonconforming people and the unnecessary obstacles they face in accessing basic care.