From the ACLU of Iowa:
Today the Iowa Supreme Court upheld a Polk County jury’s verdict in favor of Jesse Vroegh, a former Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) nurse.
Jesse Vroegh (rhymes with “flew”) worked as a nurse at the DOC and was denied healthcare coverage for medically necessary gender-affirming surgery because he is transgender, even though the state’s employer-provided healthcare insurance covered the same type of surgery for employees who are cisgender.
He was also banned from the men’s restrooms and locker room at work.
The jury found that Vroegh was indeed discriminated against in health care coverage. The jury also found that it was illegal employment discrimination to ban Jesse from using the men’s restrooms and locker room at work, just like all his other male coworkers.
Vroegh’s was the first such jury case brought under the Iowa Civil Rights Act since it was amended in 2007 to expressly prohibit discrimination against transgender people at work.
The state has since started providing this coverage for all employees, as required by both state and federal nondiscrimination laws.
Statement from Jesse Vroegh
“This day has been a long time coming. I am so happy that my state supreme court has recognized that transgender people like me should be treated just the same as everyone else when it comes to medical care—that if a doctor says I should receive medical treatment, I get the treatment.
“I am doing this so that other transgender people do not have to go through what I have. I am a nurse and I see on a regular basis how important it is for people to be treated equally when receiving medical care. It’s important for all people to be treated with dignity and respect.
“I want to say thank you to those who have made this victory possible. I thank the Iowa Supreme Court for recognizing that transgender people should be treated equally under the law. I want to thank the ACLU and Melissa Hasso for representing me and helping me file this lawsuit. And I want to thank my wife, Jackie, who has stood by me and supported me in all of this. She is an amazing person.”
Statement from Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU of Iowa Legal Director
“This is a historic victory for civil rights in Iowa, because it makes real the promise of nondiscrimination protections in employment that our legislature put in place for transgender Iowans in 2007.
“Despite those longstanding protections, Mr. Vroegh’s employer, the State of Iowa, repeatedly denied his requests to use the men’s restrooms and locker rooms consistent with his gender identity at work, and the state’s employee health insurance program excluded coverage for the medically necessary gender-affirming surgery for transgender employees, even though it covered the same procedures so long as they were not to treat gender dysphoria.
“The state should have been a model for other employers in its treatment of a transgender worker, but instead blatantly discriminated against Jesse, who only ever asked to be treated the same as his coworkers.
“We are so grateful to Jesse Vroegh, our inspiring and brave client, for taking on this first-of-its kind legal battle in our state and doing so much to build support and change hearts and minds for those who will come after him. We are also grateful to the Iowa jurors who saw through the state’s discriminatory arguments and rendered justice for Jesse, and to the Iowa Supreme Court for upholding their verdict. The victory today simply would not have been possible without the stellar work of Iowa civil rights attorney Melissa Hasso, and John Knight, our co-counsel with the national ACLU LGBTQ Rights Project.”
Statement from ACLU Cooperating Attorney Melissa Hasso, Sherinan and Hasso Law Firm, Des Moines
“The court’s ruling today is a very important step forward for our transgender friends, relatives, and co-workers in their efforts to live productive and rewarding lives. It has truly been an honor to represent Jesse and to work with my bright and dedicated colleagues at ACLU Iowa throughout this long battle. Most of all, we are all very proud of our fellow Iowans who sat on the jury, heard the evidence, and reached a decision that promotes equality and justice over discrimination and hatred.”
Jesse is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, the ACLU LGBT Project, and Melissa Hasso with the Sherinian & Hasso Law Firm in Des Moines.
Time to vote 3 of them off of the bench again!
Time to vote judges off the bench again!
This ruling only reinforces what I’ve been saying since the Pella swimming pool debacle last summer. Trimming around the edges will always end up in court and rule in favor of the pervert as long as the current civil rights language is in place. It is the root of the problem and two CHOICES, sexual orientation and gender identity, not rights, need to go. We need to quit feeling sorry for people that make stupid choices and receive stupid prizes. Just because I disagree with these choices doesn’t mean I hate or discriminate. It only means people do stupid things, blame others for their stupidity, and then expect others to pay for it. I’m okay paying for my own mistakes but I don’t want to pay for some moron who chooses to cut off his junk and complains because I don’t want to pay for it or have anything to do with it.