The first open execution of a transgender person in the US occurred in Missouri on January 3, 2023. Lethal injection was used to put 49-year-old Amber McLaughlin to death for the 2003 slaying of Beverly Guenther, her former girlfriend. McLaughlin had been convicted of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and forcible rape. Her lawyers argued that McLaughlin had never had a chance due to a lack of mental health evidence in the trial's sentencing phase and had been failed by the institutions, individuals and interventions that should have protected her. However, Missouri Governor Mike Parson declined to commute McLaughlin's sentence.
No federal law in the United States prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in employment, housing, or public accommodations. However, some states and localities have passed laws that protect transgender people from discrimination. The United States Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that transgender people are protected from discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex.
The gender marker on birth certificates and other identifying documents can be changed by transgender people in many states and localities to reflect their gender identity.
Some states have laws that restrict the rights of transgender people to use restrooms or other facilities that correspond with their gender identity.
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, prohibits discrimination based on gender identity in health insurance and healthcare. The military ban on transgender service members, which was implemented in 2017, was reversed by President Biden in January 2021. No federal law prohibits conversion therapy, a practice that aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. However, several states have banned conversion therapy for minors.
Many transgender people face high rates of discrimination, violence, and poverty and have poorer health outcomes than the general population. The Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and other advocacy organizations work to protect the rights of transgender people and raise awareness about issues facing the transgender community.
© Vygr Media Private Limited 2022. All Rights Reserved.
