Nonbinary New Yorkers sue state agency over not providing X gender option
Nonbinary New Yorkers who currently must declare themselves male or female to receive Medicaid, food stamps and other public assistance said in lawsuit filed on Monday the state is discriminating against them by failing to provide an X gender option.
The lawsuit filed against state and city agencies that run benefit programs seeks the type of nonbinary gender option allowed on New York birth certificates and promised for driver’s licenses.
The plaintiffs said the “outdated” state computer system maintained by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) compels nonbinary people to either lie under oath or to be denied benefits.
“I was forced to choose between M or F, male or female, as a gender marker, which neither really align with how I express myself or feel inside,” said Jules Donahue, one of three plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Legal Services of NYC.
“So that was particularly traumatic, especially during such a vulnerable time.”
Donahue, 30, applied for benefits in July, after the coronavirus pandemic made it hard for the New York City law student to find stable work. Donahue identified as a male for the application, but said “it just doesn’t feel as authentic to me as X”.
The lawsuit filed in state court in Manhattan names OTDA with the state health department and Andrew Cuomo, New York’s governor. The lawsuit also names the New York City Department of Social Services, though it notes city officials have urged the state to update their system. There was no immediate comment from the Cuomo administration or from the city agency.
New York is among at least 18 states that provide some legal recognition of nonbinary gender markers, according to the lawsuit. In addition to birth certificates, the state said in a November court filing it was modifying Department of Motor Vehicles computers to offer driver’s licenses with an X gender marker.
The lawsuit said the OTDA system discriminates on the basis of gender identity, violating state human rights and civil rights laws, as well as the state constitution.
The lawsuit demands that the state agency add “X” as a valid gender identity option in the benefits system, as well as updated guidance and training for social services staff on proper conduct when dealing with nonbinary people.
Co-plaintiff Jaime Mitchell said the lack of an X option is an extra indignity for vulnerable people in need of Medicaid or food stamps. Mitchell, 40, was able to get a birth certificate with an X marker in January but was unable to update their benefits records.
“Any time I need something as simple as food or to make a doctor’s appointment, I basically am forced to misgender myself, to be misgendered. And this takes a toll,” Mitchell said.
Bobby Hodgson, an NYCLU attorney, said the state has known the system is outdated for years.
“The fact that New York state has allowed the sole conduit through which people can get benefits to become a broken system just can’t justify the discrimination that is occurring,” Hodgson said.
Princess Janae Place, a Bronx organization that helps transgender and nonbinary people of color transition from homelessness to independent living, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Its executive director, Jevon Martin, said he had seen the financial and emotional toll the discrimination takes on the people his organization helps.
“That’s the issue,” he said “You’re not seen for who you are.”