New York Is Taking A Huge New Step Toward Trans Equality

New York made a big announcement today: The state is making an official commitment to improving health care services for transgender people.  Under a new plan, members of the Greater New York Hospital Association will undergo continued education to make certain that transgender patients are protected from discrimination and treated according to best practices when seeking health care. "My office is committed to ensuring equal and respectful access to medical care for all New Yorkers, regardless of their gender identity," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. He added that he was "proud" to be spearheading the initiative, which M. Dru Levasseur, director of the Transgender Rights Project at Lambda Legal, called the "first of its kind" in New York. The training program will address "the legal framework of protections for transgender individuals;" "the nature and extent of discrimination experienced by transgender individuals in seeking healthcare;" and "identification of best practices for hospitals," according to Buzzfeed News.  The initiative follows New York's decision earlier this year to lift a 17-year ban on access to transgender-related health care under Medicaid.   Prior to the ban's reversal, in March Refinery29 published a map of transgender rights across America. New York did not rank well in an analysis of protections for transgender people relating to work, schooling, health care, safety, and community. With this new initiative from the state's attorney general, perhaps the paradigm is beginning to shift.