The Trump Administration has indicated it intends to eliminate the rights of transgender people by narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth. The move is a cruel, extremist, and transparent political attack on millions of Americans, including transgender older adults.

Transgender older adults face a number of challenges. Key among them are barriers to adequate healthcare, including healthcare providers who lack basic cultural and clinical knowledge, refuse to treat transgender patients, or establish policies that perpetrate harassment and abuse.

Nearly 1 in 5 transgender individuals reports being refused care because of their gender non-confirming status, and higher rates exist in transgender communities of color. This type of discrimination, which compounds over a lifetime, contributes to poorer health outcomes among transgender older adults, with 1 in 3 reporting poor physical health.

The Administration’s plans, coordinated by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice, not only recklessly disregard modern science and medicine, but also the law. Dozens of courts in the past two decades have affirmed full rights and identities of transgender individuals. The plans would roll back established legal protections and only exacerbate health disparities and other challenges facing transgender older adults.

Justice in Aging stands with transgender older adults and others in the gender non-conforming community and joins a broad coalition of civil and human rights organizations to oppose and fight back against the Administration’s plans. Transgender Americans deserve dignity and respect under our law.