The decision from a panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hinges on the claim that gender dysphoria qualifies as a disability protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"If you look at the Americans with Disabilities Act, it explicitly excludes from the definition of 'disability' gender identity disorders that are not the result of a physical impairment," Rachel Morrison of the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) recently told the "Washington Watch with Tony Perkins" radio program.
"It's pretty obvious to anyone who's not trying to push radical gender ideology that gender dysphoria classifies as a gender identity disorder," she added.
As the Biden administration has been trying to normalize transgenderism, this particular case was brought against the Fairfax County sheriff in Virginia by a male prisoner who reportedly identifies as a woman and did not want to be in jail with other men.
According to NBC Bay Area, this federal ruling could "help block conservative political efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming care."
"This could have massive implications across the board," Morrison warns.
The ruling is binding in the states covered by the Richmond-based 4th Circuit — Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia — but will inevitably be cited in cases in other states.
