Ryan White transgender HIV-care restrictions go to trial
Federal
A challenge to federal restrictions affecting transgender patients in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program went to a bench trial on September 23. Lambda Legal, which represents the plaintiffs, says HHS and HRSA funding conditions prevent program recipients from respecting patients’ identities and using Ryan White funds for related care, including gender-affirming hormones.
Those are the plaintiffs’ account and legal claims; the court has not decided whether the restrictions are lawful. It did not rule from the bench, and a written decision is pending. The case matters because the federal program provides a healthcare safety net for people living with HIV, including transgender patients who need respectful, continuous care.
Trans people living with HIV deserve care that respects their identities. We will track the court’s ruling and any actual change to the funding conditions rather than treat the trial itself as a legal victory or defeat.
Read Lambda Legal’s account of the Ryan White bench trial.