Just out., July 01, 2011, Page 9, Image 9

JU LY 1. 2011
9
marriage matters before making a determi­
nation about going to the ballot.”
sary surgeries to the health plan for city
workers.
“My doctor has determined that this
procedure is necessary for me,” said Es­
Lambda Legal Sues State
quivel. “Other people who work here and
of Oregon on Behalf
who need this very same procedure get the
of Transgender State
coverage they need. Why shouldn’t I?”
Employee
Just Out will follow this story as more in­
On June 21, Lambda Legal announced it formation becomes available.
was filing a lawsuit on behalf of Alec Es­
quivel, an Oregon state employee who was New Pivot Billboards Go
denied insurance coverage for medically
Up, Community Weighs In
necessary surgery because he is transgender.
According to his doctors, Esquivel, a 41-
Cascade AIDS Project’s Pivot program
year-old law school graduate and clerk for launched a new billboard campaign June
the Oregon Court of Appeals, is at a 27, in part as a response to the anti-gay at­
heightened risk for uterine and ovarian tack on Pivot coordinator Brad Forkner
cancer due to the hormone therapy he’s and his boyfriend Christopher Rosevear in
taking as part of his treatment for Gender late May while crossing the Hawthorne
Identity Disorder. Esquivel was assigned Bridge. The couple’s attack sparked a photo
female sex at birth and was diagnosed with shoot campaign dubbed “Love is Coura­
GID in 2001. The medically necessary pro­ geous,” from which the images used on the
cedure in question is a hysterectomy.
billboards were chosen.
“Alec Esquivel was denied coverage for a
Last June, Pivot mounted a similar cam­
medically necessary procedure specifically paign to promote its transition from being
because he is transgender. This type of dis­ known as the Men’s Wellness Center by
crimination is unlawful and risks the health putting up billboards—on which the image
of hardworking, productive citizens of Or­ of two men kissing drew minor controversy
egon,” said Dru Levasseur, transgender from community members, including con­
rights attorney at Lambda Legal via media servative radio host Lars Larson. The new
briefing. “By not covering this procedure, billboards also feature gay male couples,
the state is refusing to provide him with some in embrace, some kissing. While the
the same health care coverage as his co­ billboards haven’t been up long enough to
generate much discussion, some in the
workers.”
The lawsuit was filed against the Public community have weighed in.
Employees’ Benefit Board arguing that O r­
Jeremy Haddenham expressed chagrin
egon’s anti-discrimination law prohibits an over what he thought was a better opportu­
employer from denying insurance coverage nity to portray inclusivity in the image of
on the basis of gender identity. GID is a the LGBTCLcommunity.
serious medical condition recognized by
“Personally, I feel there should have been
the American Medical Association, the more of a diverse cross section represented
American Psychological Association and on them,” says Haddenham. “The public
others, with treatments ranging from hor­ perception of gay men has always been
mone therapy to sex reassignment surgery. clean-cut, preppy types. It would be nice to
Portland became the third municipality see bears or ‘harder edge’ type couples rep­
in the country to eliminate all transgender- resented as well.”
related health coverage exclusions June 8
Michael Sorensen, CAP’s director of
when the Portland City Council voted development, helped bring the photo shoot
unanimously to approve Mayor Sam Ad­ project together, and was pleased with the
ams’ proposal to include medically neces­ finished product.
Porti a n d , O K
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