Ohio: “Transgender Lawsuit Settled, Cincinnati Public Library Now Covers Transgender Surgery”

From the Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati.com:

Rachel Dovel didn’t mean to become a crusader for transgender rights. But the library employee found herself cast in that role last year when the library’s health insurance refused to pay for her gender confirmation surgery – and the library’s board wouldn’t budge.
She underwent surgery in December – and Monday she and her legal team announced she settled a lawsuit against the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
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Under terms of the agreement, the library:

• Changed its healthcare plan effective Jan. 1 to include transgender surgery and other medical care for transgender people

• Agreed to listen to the recommendations of its employees about purchasing and offering LGBT-related materials and events

• Will continue its practice of using gender-neutral employment forms and providing gender-neutral restrooms when feasible

• Offer employees training on LGBT inclusion.

• It’s not clear if there was a monetary settlement. Jennifer Branch, whose law firm Gerhardstein & Branch along with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Law Office of Scott Knox, declined to comment on that.

Read the Complete Article (718 words + Video)
Background
Cincinnati PL Board Votes Not To Support Coverage of Gender Confirmation Surgery (via Library Journal; July 2016)

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