Civil rights advocates say a Memphis hospital is no longer providing gender-affirming surgeries, a move they argue is illegal and discriminatory.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, Memphis-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare alerted their client, Chris Evans, on Nov. 21 that all gender-affirming surgeries were canceled due to a newly adopted policy. Evans, who the ACLU says suffers from gender dysphoria, had been scheduled for a surgery at MLH less than a week later.
The ACLU claims that MLH’s new policy discriminates on the basis of sex, which would violate the nondiscrimination provision the hospital agreed to follow as a Medicaid provider. MLH is also accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because the ALCU argues they’re denying a person with a disability the benefits of a program.
The ACLU demanded in a letter on Wednesday that the hospital “promptly rectify its unlawful actions, and reschedule our client’s surgery, including any other necessary support services, to be performed no later than December 31.”
MLH is one of Tennessee’s largest providers of Tennessee’s Medicaid and uninsured patients. Their website claims they serve more than 128,000 adult Medicaid patients each year.