Last month I wrote that Lina and I learned she had won an appeal regarding short-term disability insurance when she was out of work for “facial feminization surgery.” We now have details to post, and I can finally give a shoutout to the awesome organization that helped us — Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. TLDEF was also assisted, pro-bono, by Juan Pena and Peter Cohen-Millstein of Linklaters LLP. We are grateful for their assistance.
Here’s the press release, which gives more information on our case and the topic in general.
In a nutshell, the insurance company (Prudential) and Lina’s employer did what we felt was the right thing after they heard her reasons for appeal, that FFS is part of the transgender process. Across the country, various medical procedures in the transition process are starting to be covered by companies’ insurance policies, a change we vigorously applaud!
I’m very proud of Lina for pursuing this. Her employers are great, and so of course she was fearful of seeming ungrateful or worse. Plus she is so not a boat-rocker or a public person. But she understands how much power precedents have, and how many brave souls before us have made our battle so, so, so much easier. I now count her among them! Good work, hon!
She Was the Man of My Dreams 
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