Oregon Employee Sues State For Sex Change Insurance Denial

It's never been done before, but you had to know the day was coming.  A transgender public employee in Oregon has sued the state because their insurance provider denied his claim for a hysterectomy in his efforts to make the transition to becoming a man.   He's Alec Esquivel, a 41-year-old law clerk at the Oregon Court of Appeals.  Alec, who was born a woman, filed the law suit claiming discrimination based on gender identity. The civil rights group, Lambda Legal, have an attorney assigned to Esquivel's case who states, “By not covering this procedure, the state is refusing to provide him with the same health care coverage as his co-workers.”   Esquivel's suit calls for the state to cover the costs of this operation and an additional  $250,000 in damages for emotional distress.