Christina Ketcham is a 60-year-old transgender woman who worked for Clatsop County for nearly thirty years. She started her transition over four years ago and continues to experience significant distress from the incongruence between her typically masculine facial features and her identity as a woman. To alleviate that distress, Christina’s treating healthcare providers determined that certain facial feminization procedures are medically necessary to treat her gender dysphoria. But, the health...
Our Voices
On November 11, 2017, a group of parents challenged their local school district’s policy of permitting transgender students to use the facilities consistent with the student’s gender identity. The school district moved to dismiss the complaint. On July 24, 2018, the District Court dismissed the parents’ claims, finding that the district’s transgender-inclusive policies do not violate the rights of non-transgender students. The parents appealed. On March 11, 2019, the...
Hazel Brashar was a 21-year old transgender woman on Medicaid in Oregon. She experienced debilitating dysphoria as a result of the male-appearing features of her face. Even leaving the house was a difficult task and often ended with severe panic attacks that forced Hazel to return home. Hazel’s treating providers all agreed that facial feminization surgery was medically necessary to treat Hazel’s gender dysphoria. Unfortunately, Oregon Medicaid specifically excluded coverage for facial...
