Civil Rights Groups Oppose NDAA Health Care Cuts

View a PDF of the letter here.

December 9, 2024

Dear Members of Congress:

We write today with deep alarm regarding a provision banning medically necessary health care for families of service members in the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 5009). Because of this provision, the undersigned organizations urge Members of Congress to vote against passage of H.R. 5009.

Preventing thousands of family members from obtaining medically necessary care is a betrayal of the promise to our military families and an unnecessary threat to our national security. This care for the treatment of gender dysphoria, often referred to as genderaffirming care, isn’t “special” or “experimental” health care–it is ordinary health care supported by medical science and managed by physicians. Access to this care is critical for many people, leading to improvements in mental health, self-esteem, and overall
well-being by reducing gender dysphoria, depression, and anxiety. Military youth already face challenges associated with frequent moves and deployed parents; targeting military youth by limiting their health care coverage causes unnecessary distress to both dependents and servicemembers and undermines the sacrifice we ask them to make every day. This ban is discriminatory, cruel, and an offense to our servicemembers.

All people, including military families, deserve access to comprehensive health care services, free from discriminatory barriers that only serve to score political points. Military families with transgender youth have made it clear that this provision will force them to choose between their military careers and providing health care for their loved ones. At a time when the military continues to fall far short of recruitment targets, we cannot afford the cost of this harmful provision. When access to medical care is
restricted, it does more than threaten the health of service members’ families: it threatens retention, morale, and readiness of our Armed Forces.

Both our national security and military families deserve the freedom to live authentically and access the health care they need. People will be irreversibly harmed by this ban. Congress must not allow this dangerous measure to pass.

Sincerely,

ADAPT Wellness
Advocates for Trans Equality
Advocates for Youth
Affirmations
AIDS Foundation Chicago
AIDS United
All Under One Roof LGBTQ ADVOCATES
All Under One Roof LGBTQ ADVOCATES of Southeastern Idaho
All* Above All
Alliance For Full Acceptance SC
Alliance of Baptists
Am Yisrael Conservative Congregation
Amazonian Warrior Foundation
American Civil Liberties Union
American Humanist Association
American Institute of Dental Public Health
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Arkansas Black Gay Men’s Forum
Asset Building Strategies
Atlanta Pride
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Basic Rights Oregon
Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice
Be BOLD Psychology and Consulting
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Black Veterans Project
Brooklyn Community Pride Center
Caladrius Therapy
CAMP Rehoboth
Carolinas Center for Evaluation and Treatment
Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ
Center for Psychological Growth
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Centre LGBT+
Charlotte Trans Health
Chase Brexton Health Care
Cheeky Charity
Chicago House and Social Service Agency
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
CoastPride, Inc.
CommonDefense.us
Compass LGBTQ Community Center
Council for Global Equality
DC Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs
Democratic Socialists of America
Democrats Abroad
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
DSA North Texas
Eastern PA Trans Equity Project
Empire Justice Center
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Equal Rights Advocates
Equality California
Equality Federation
Equality Florida
Equality Illinois
Equality Michigan
Equality New Mexico
Equality North Carolina
Equality Ohio
Equality Texas
Equality Virginia
Equitas Health
Fabulous Arts Foundation
Fair Wisconsin
Fairness Campaign
FAIRNY (Fairness Alliance and Information Resources of New York, Inc.)
Family Equality
Family Values@Work Action
Feelings and Rainbows
Feminist Majority Foundation
Fenway Health
First Unitarian Church OKC
FORGE, Inc.
Four Corneres Rainbow Youth Center
Freedom Oklahoma
Garden State Equality
Gay Elder Circle
Gender Justice
Gender Justice League
GenderNexus
Georgia Equality
GLAAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law)
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
GLSEN
GLYS Western New York Inc.
Go Digital Hero LLC
Grand Rapids Pride Center
Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Greater Fort Lauderdale PRIDE Organization
GSBA, Washington’s LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce
Guttmacher Institute
Halcyon Mental Health
Harriet Hancock Center
Have A Gay Day Inc.
Healing Arts Collaborative
Healing to Action
Hetrick-Martin Institute, Inc.
Horizon Counseling Center
Hudson Pride Center
Hugh Lane Foundation
Human Rights Campaign
Ibis Reproductive Health
Indivisible
Inland Oasis
Inner Guidance Counseling PLLC
Inside Out Youth Services
Institute for LGBT Health and Wellbeing
Interfaith Alliance
IYG
Jackson Pride
Japanese American Citizens League
Joseph Pope Counseling, PLLC
Just Solutions
Justice Advocacy Network
Justice and Joy National Collaborative
Justice Network of Tarrant County
Kaleidoscope Youth Center
KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change
La Vida Pride LGBTQ+ eCommunity
Lambda Legal
Lancaster Pride
Lavender Rights Project
Lexington Pride Center
LGBT Center of Central Pa
LGBT Center of Raleigh
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
LGBT Community Network
LGBT Life Center
LGBT+ Center Orlando, Inc.
LGBTQ Center OC
LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert
LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Lititz Chooses Love
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Louisville Youth Group
Loving Beyond Understanding
MaineTransNet
Makom Shelanu Congregation
Marguerita Blaker & Associates
Mass Equality
Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
MassEquality
Mazzoni Center
Metamorphosis Medical Center
Military Families Speak Out
Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild
Minority Veterans of America
Modern Military Association of America
MomsRising
Montgomery Pride United
Mountain Pride
Movement Advancement Project
Ms. Foundation for Women
Muncie OUTreach LGBTQ+ Center
Muslims for Progressive Values
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
National Black Justice Collective
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment
(National PLACE)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women’s Law Center
NC DHHS CDB
New Haven Pride Center
Newark LGBTQ Community Center
NMAC
North Dakota Human Rights Coalition
NoVA Prism Center
Oasis Legal Services
Oklahomans for Equality
One Colorado
One Iowa Action
one-n-ten
Or Hamidbar, Palm Springs
Oregon City Peace Coalition
Our Spot Kc
Out in National Security
OutFront Minnesota
OutNebraska
OUTreach
Pacific Center for Human Growth
Updated as of 12/11/24 2:00pm
Pacific Pride Foundation
Patchwork Transgender Peer Services
PFLAG Greater Boston
PFLAG Indiana
PFLAG National
PFLAG, Burbank, CA
Phil Berrigan Veterans For Peace
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Point of Pride
Power to Decide
Pride Center of Terre Haute Inc.
Pride Center San Antonio
Pride Foundation
Pride Frisco
Pride Lafayette (Indiana)
PrideFest
Pridelines
PRISM FL
Prism United
Prismatic Speech Services
Private Practice
PROMO Missouri
#ProtectiveParents
QLaw Foundation of Washington
Queer Family Network
Queer Keys
Queer Power Alliance
Queering the Binary Foundation
Queermunity Collaborative
Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center
Rainbow Center
Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America)
Resource Center
Rhode Island Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus
Rocky Mountain Equality
Rooted Therapy
Roots Integrative Counseling Inc.
Rose Dynasty Foundation
Rutland County Pride
Sacramento LGBT Community Center
SAGE
San Diego Pride
Seek Your Serenity Counseling Center
Serotiny Counseling
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Updated as of 12/11/24 2:00pm
Service Women’s Action Network
SF LGBT Center
Shoals Diversity Center
Side by Side VA, Inc.
Silver State Equality
SMYAL
Social Justice Fund NW
SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity
South Carolina Equality
SPARTA Pride
State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Action
Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT)
Sussex Pride
T-time Transgender Support
Tennessee Equality Project
The Frederick Center
The Human Rights Alliance
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The League of Conservation Voters
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada
The LIAM Foundation
The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center
The Pink Berets
The Pride Center at Equality Park
The Pride Center of New Jersey
The Prideful Path Project
The Rep Room
The San Diego LGBT Community Center
The Source LGBT+ Center
The Transgender District
The Trevor Project
Thriving Transmen of Color
TRACTION
Trans Emergency Fund of MA
Trans Empowerment Project
Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas
Trans Youth Equality Foundation
Transcanwork
TransFamily Support Services
Transforming Families MN
Transgender American Veteran Association
Transgender Assistance Program
Transgender Assistance Program of Virginia
Transgender Awareness Alliance
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)
Transgender Law Center
Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
Transgender Veterans Support Group
Transhealth
TransNewYork
TransOhio
TransPonder
Transpositive PDX
TransSOCIAL, Inc.
TransYouth Liberation
Treasury and FinCEN LGBTQ Employee Resource Group
Triangle Community Center
Triquetra Counseling, PLLC
UFCW OUTreach
Union for Reform Judaism
Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO
United Church of Christ
Uniting Pride of Champaign County
University of Iowa Law and Policy In Action Clinic
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Justice
Utah Pride Center
UTOPIA Washington
Vet Voice Foundation
Veteran Pride Suicide Prevention Coalition
Victory Family Counseling
Volusia Pride
Waves Ahead Corp
West Hartford Pride
Whitman-Walker Institute
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Women of Reform Judaism
Youth Oasis
Youth Outlook
Youth Pride, Inc.
Youth Pride Association